End deadly cycle of crimes: HRW

FE Team | Published: February 08, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

State authorities in Bangladesh need to ensure their response to and respect for the rights of all and avoid arbitrary use of force, arrests, and disappearances, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday, reports UNB.
All the political leaders should give clear statements that their supporters should not use unlawful violence, said the New York-based global rights body.
"All parties should cooperate to stop the cycle of violent crimes and ensure those responsible for all crimes are arrested and prosecuted," said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, in a statement published on its website.
"The violent crimes being committed by some members of the opposition cannot justify killings, injuries, and wrongful arrests by the government."
Adams further said, "The government has the responsibility to enforce law and order and protect citizens but security forces should know that they will be held accountable for violating human rights," Adams said.
"Bangladesh has a long history of permitting security forces to commit excesses in order to control crime, and it is leading to the collapse of rule of law and blood on the streets."
The government has also imprisoned several Jamaat leaders and hundreds of their supporters. Many others are in hiding fearing arrest, he said.
The current cycle of opposition violence, including deadly arson attacks, follows the same pattern as documented by Human Rights Watch a year ago, when more than 500 people were killed in the 2014 election-related violence, the rights body added.
Since early January, human rights activists put the estimate of dead at the hands of opposition members at 41, many due to arson attacks, it said.
The leadership of both political parties have repeatedly blamed the other side and denied their parties are responsible.
On February 5, for example, Khaleda Zia, leader of the opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP), denounced the violence but continued to pin the blame entirely on members of the Awami League in spite of credible allegations that members of her own party are involved in these attacks.