Bangladesh's human rights situation has stabilised following a period of unrest in August 2024, but some concerns persist, the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour said on Wednesday.
In a report titled "2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh", it said the previous government in Bangladesh allowed widespread impunity for human rights abuses, rarely punishing officials or security forces involved.
What human rights issues included?
The human rights issues included are:
- Arbitrary or unlawful killings
- Disappearances
- Torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment
- Arbitrary arrest or detention, transnational repression against individuals in another country
- Serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom
- Violence against journalists
- Unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and censorship
- Significant restrictions on workers' freedom of association
- Violence or threats against labour activists or union members
- Significant presence of the worst forms of child labour.
By the numbers:
Reports indicate the previous government or its agents committed arbitrary killings without releasing official data or ensuring transparent investigations. The Interim Government has begun tracking such incidents.
- According to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) reported at least 986 deaths between 16 July and 9 September.
- Verified footage showed police, paramilitary, and ruling party activists firing on unarmed protesters.
- The interim government released a draft list documenting 708 protest-related deaths and invited public input to verify the figures.
- From January to July, extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh continued at roughly the previous year's rate.
- HRSS documented 12 similar cases between January and June, citing deaths in crossfires, shootings, and custodial torture.
- However, there were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilisation on the part of government authorities.
How the interim govt is faring
After the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus arrested those accused, including members of the Awami League's student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), implicated in serious abuses in July and August.
- The interim government used both the regular justice system and the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) to hold perpetrators accountable, according to the US report.
- The previous government used the Cyber Security Act (CSA) against individuals criticising the government or a particular religion.
- As of August, a total of 5,818 cases remained pending before all eight cyber tribunals across the country filed under the ICT, DSA, and CSA acts.
- From January to June, 475 workers died in workplace accidents. However, on September 17, the IG launched the National Occupational Health and Safety Training and Research Institute to improve OSH through training and research according to national and international standards.
- The interim government offered stipends for girls' school expenses beyond the compulsory level to reduce early and forced marriages.
Challenges identified
- In October and November, the IG revoked the credentials of 167 journalists connected with the previous government or ruling party.
- Without accreditation, journalists could write and publish through media outlets but were denied entry to government ministries, restricting their ability to cover official events or press conferences inside the government secretariat complex, which housed most ministries.
- In September, a mob in Khulna beat Utsab Mandal, a teenage boy, regarding a comment on Facebook containing derogatory remarks.
- The law did not allow workers to file unfair labour practices or antiunion discrimination cases directly with the labour courts. Workers were required to first file complaints with the DOL alleging unfair labor practices.
- The government did not effectively enforce minimum wage, overtime, and OSH laws. Penalties for violations were not commensurate with those for similar crimes and were rarely applied against violators.
- One labour rights NGO found 95% of factories did not comply with overtime limits.
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