The observance of Human Rights Day
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Bangladesh is, officially, a great champion of human rights. It is a signatory to all the major international human rights instruments including International Covenant to Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised this point when a five-member delegation of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR), led by visiting special rapporteures Magdalena Sepulveda and Catarina de Albuquerque, met her at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday, December 10 -- the Human Rights Day.
The United Nations declared "Embrace Diversity, End Discrimination" as the theme of this year's Human Rights Day". In a message on the occasion, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "Discrimination targets individuals and groups that are vulnerable to attack: the disabled, women and girls, the poor, migrants, minorities, and all those who are perceived as different.... But these victims of discrimination are not alone. The United Nations is standing with them, committed to defending the rights of all, and particularly the most vulnerable. That is our identity and our mission." Apparently, keeping the UN theme in mind, Prime Minister Hasina told the visiting UNOHCHR delegation that her government was committed to safeguarding the human rights of the people and ensuring, simultaneously, their economic and social security.
But, the UN theme did not capture the imagination of the people in Bangladesh while observing the Human Rights Day on Thursday. The issue of extra-judicial killings was uppermost in their mind. The highest government body on human rights, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), is also extremely concerned with this issue. On the eve of the Human Rights Day, the National Human Rights Commission submitted its annual report to the President on December 6. On the occasion, NHRC Chairman Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury told the media: "Independent inquiry should be conducted into each of the incidents of extrajudicial killing as there are conflicting statements from law enforcers and families of the victims on most such incidents." The NHRC held a seminar on "Protection and promotion of human rights in Bangladesh: the role of National Human Rights Commission, law enforcement agencies and NGOs" on the Human Rights Day. At the end of the seminar, the NHRC Chairman, while talking to the waiting media people, reiterated that they wanted "independent probe" into the allegation of extrajudicial killings. According to human rights watchdog, Odhikar, as many as 136 persons were victims of extrajudicial killings from January to November this year alone. The worst type of such killings were those in so-called 'cross-fire' or 'encounter' by the law-enforcers. The government seems to have conveniently forgotten that the ruling Awami League, in its election manifesto, pledged to stop extrajudicial killings.
The government's commitment to improve the human rights situation in the country also comes under question when the status of the National Human Rights Commission is taken into consideration. At present, the NHRC is simply limping, with all the three post of commissioners remaining vacant and in the absence of a full-fledged secretariat and rules of its functioning. So, to make the observance of the 2009 Human Rights Day meaningful, in the context of Bangladesh, the government is required to do two things. First, extrajudicial killings must stop and secondly, the National Human Rights Commission must be strengthened and empowered.
The United Nations declared "Embrace Diversity, End Discrimination" as the theme of this year's Human Rights Day". In a message on the occasion, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "Discrimination targets individuals and groups that are vulnerable to attack: the disabled, women and girls, the poor, migrants, minorities, and all those who are perceived as different.... But these victims of discrimination are not alone. The United Nations is standing with them, committed to defending the rights of all, and particularly the most vulnerable. That is our identity and our mission." Apparently, keeping the UN theme in mind, Prime Minister Hasina told the visiting UNOHCHR delegation that her government was committed to safeguarding the human rights of the people and ensuring, simultaneously, their economic and social security.
But, the UN theme did not capture the imagination of the people in Bangladesh while observing the Human Rights Day on Thursday. The issue of extra-judicial killings was uppermost in their mind. The highest government body on human rights, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), is also extremely concerned with this issue. On the eve of the Human Rights Day, the National Human Rights Commission submitted its annual report to the President on December 6. On the occasion, NHRC Chairman Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury told the media: "Independent inquiry should be conducted into each of the incidents of extrajudicial killing as there are conflicting statements from law enforcers and families of the victims on most such incidents." The NHRC held a seminar on "Protection and promotion of human rights in Bangladesh: the role of National Human Rights Commission, law enforcement agencies and NGOs" on the Human Rights Day. At the end of the seminar, the NHRC Chairman, while talking to the waiting media people, reiterated that they wanted "independent probe" into the allegation of extrajudicial killings. According to human rights watchdog, Odhikar, as many as 136 persons were victims of extrajudicial killings from January to November this year alone. The worst type of such killings were those in so-called 'cross-fire' or 'encounter' by the law-enforcers. The government seems to have conveniently forgotten that the ruling Awami League, in its election manifesto, pledged to stop extrajudicial killings.
The government's commitment to improve the human rights situation in the country also comes under question when the status of the National Human Rights Commission is taken into consideration. At present, the NHRC is simply limping, with all the three post of commissioners remaining vacant and in the absence of a full-fledged secretariat and rules of its functioning. So, to make the observance of the 2009 Human Rights Day meaningful, in the context of Bangladesh, the government is required to do two things. First, extrajudicial killings must stop and secondly, the National Human Rights Commission must be strengthened and empowered.