In four years since the Awami League-led government took office in January 2009, 156 citizens disappeared and 462 persons were allegedly killed by law enforcement agencies, civil rights leaders said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a news conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity they were presenting the country’s human rights picture from January 2009 to September 2012.
They said that it was the responsibility of the government to stop the extra judicial killings which are not only illegal but also a violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
Human Rights Forum Bangladesh, a coalition of 19 civil rights and development organizations, presented a summary of its report reviewing the human rights condition in Bangladesh.
The civil rights campaigners look forward to present the Universal Periodic Report on the human rights condition in the country at the UN Human Rights Council session to be held in Geneva on April 29.
Ain o Salish Kendra executive director and former care taker government adviser Sultana Kamal said ‘the government could stop the extra the judicial killings, which are not only illegal but also a violation of the Constitution.’
Ain o Salish Kendra report shows that 156 citizens disappeared and 462 others were allegedly killed by the law enforcement agencies from January 2009 to September 2012.
Out of the 156 disappeared persons, the report said, the relatives got the bodies of only 28 victims.
Sultana Kamal said that the present government had many positive achievements but it also left a poor record in several sectors.
On the negative sides, she said, the government failed to ensure equal wages for women workers, the rights and safety of all religious communities, rights of citizens and the rights of the institutions.
On the positive side, she said, the government reduced the maternal and child mortality rate, formulated Women Development Policy in 2011 and began the war crimes trials.
She said that though the country achieved huge development in some sectors, discrimination increased putting many in greater disadvantage.
Due to corruption, common people are not getting benefits of the government’s good initiatives,
She said that the Awami League-led government failed to fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord as it had pledged in its election manifesto.
This government even declared that there are no adibashis in Bangladesh, she said.
Bangladesh Adibashi Forum general secretary Sanjeeb Drong said that the National Committee for the Implementation of CHT Peace Accord, the taskforce on rehabilitation of Chittagong Hill Tracts refugees, the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission, reconstituted by the government in 2009 made negligible progress in implementing the CHT accord.
Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman, Manusher Jonno Foundation executive director Shahin Anam and Nagorik Udyog chief executive Jakir Hossain also spoke.
Source: New Age
