Amnesty urges full probe into breach of emergency rules

FE Team | Published: September 06, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Amnesty International (AI) has called on Bangladesh government to ensure that all violations reported in the context of recent student unrest are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice, reports bdnews24.com.
The human-rights watchdog also expressed concern for those "detained for extended periods and denied access to lawyers and family members."
It particularly referred to the cases of Dhaka University teachers Anwar Hossain and Harun-or-Rashid and Rajshahi University faculties Saidur Rahman Khan, Abdus Sobhan and Moloy Kumar Bhoumik.
In a recent letter to Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Amnesty International refers to the recently formed judicial commission headed by Justice Habibur Rahman Khan, which is to submit its findings to the government on September 11.
The organisation calls on the government to ensure that the "judicial inquiry is fully independent, has access to all persons and information that it considers relevant, and is also able to ensure protection of witnesses".
The inquiry's "conclusions and recommendations should be made public", and the government should issue a public response indicating the steps it will take to implement recommendations made by the inquiry, the AI said.
The letter from Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan comes after reports of "excessive use of force by security personnel" following outbreaks of violence involving student demonstrators and law-enforcement personnel in Dhaka and several other cities between August 21-22.
"Use of excessive force by police as well as reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees while being interrogated by law enforcement personnel is deeply concerning," it said.
The organisation urged the authorities to take concrete measures with regard to the reports of "torture and ill-treatment of detainees at the hands of members of the security forces."
Detainees had also been denied access to lawyers and family members in "clear violation of international human rights standards", the Amnesty International added.