FM terms US HR report on Bangladesh weak

Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni Monday termed the US human rights report on Bangladesh 'weak', blaming it for not having reliable and adequate sourcing. Bangladesh will oppose the findings of the report, taking the matter up with the US government, she mentioned. "The situation of human rights in Bangladesh is up to the mark that defies the US report, which is weak as it lacks adequate research and sourcing," the minister told a press briefing at the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the briefing, the Foreign Minister (FM) highlighted the outcome of her recent tours of Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Russia. Dipu Moni said the credibility of the United Nation's Human Rights Council's report is widespread globally unlike that of the US. Bangladesh is being ranked at satisfactory level for some years by the Council's report on improvement in human rights situation, she added. "We have been relentlessly working to improve our human rights situation through eradicating poverty and ensuring all civic rights to our people," the FM told the briefing. Generally, the US prepares the report based on media coverage and feedbacks from some non-government organisations(NGOs), which are not always based on appropriate sourcing, the minister observed. The US on April 8 released Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 2010 expressing serious concern at the failure to fully investigate extra-judicial killings by security forces in Bangladesh. The report said the security forces committed extra-judicial killings and were responsible for custodial deaths, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention. Commenting on the judiciary, the report said an "increasingly politicised judiciary exacerbated problems in an already overwhelmed judicial system and constrained access to justice for members of opposition parties". It criticised the government for limiting freedom of speech of opposition political parties and harassment of journalists by security forces. The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh is still working on signing an agreement with Russia for building a nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna. The agreement could be signed during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Russia sometime in 2011. The government, will, however, examine the pros and cons of constructing a nuclear power plant in the country. "The security aspect of our people will get first priority before finalising any deal on the nuclear power plant," the minister said. "A workshop with the participation of foreign experts on nuclear power plant will be held in Dhaka within months to fix our policy whether we will opt for nuclear power plant or not." Foreign Secretary Mohammed Mijarul Quayes and other top officials concerned attended the briefing.