US report on Bangladesh disgraceful for nation: BNP

BNP termed disgraceful on Saturday for the nation the US Department of State's 2014 Country Reports on Bangladesh's Human Rights Status, saying the real situation in the country is more horrible than the report has projected, reports UNB.
"We can't appreciate the report as it's on Bangladesh's negative things like-there's no democracy, press freedom and freedom of expression here. These negative things are disgraceful for us as an independent nation," BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon made the comments while speaking at a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office.
He further said BNP as an opposition party is not cheerful for such a report as it believes in positive politics. "But, we want to ask the government why such a negative scenario of Bangladesh is being depicted by the international community."
In its report on Human Rights released on Thursday, the United States (US) said the most significant human rights problems in Bangladesh were extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, some restrictions on online speech and the press, and poor working conditions and labour rights.
"While political affiliation was sometimes a factor in the arrest and prosecution of members of the opposition parties, the government didn't prosecute individuals solely on political charges," says the report.
US Secretary of State John Kerry presented the annual Country Reports, commonly known as the Human Rights Reports that cover the status of human rights in countries around the world.
Giving his party's reaction to the report, Ripon said, "The real scenario is more horrifying than the report projected Bangladesh's human rights, press freedom, and basic rights conditions, the status of the judiciary and the severity of the repression on political parties."
He said the US report mentioned that the international community did not accept the January-5 election as it was a questionable one. "The US also doesn't think the current government represents the country's people."
The BNP leader alleged that the government is controlling the media.  "There's no emergency or any executive order to snatch the press freedom, but the journalists are exercising self-censorship in fear of reprisal as they have been working in terrible condition. The US also could understand it's observing the nature of our media reports."
Ripon came down hard on Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu for his Friday's remark that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be kept in Kashimpur jail. "We don't know when a small party leader like Inu started sitting on judge's chair."
The BNP leader alleged that Inu had initiated the politics of killing, bombing and terrorism in Bangladesh during the rule of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after the country's independence. "Inu and his cohorts had established Gano Bahini and taken the first step to obstruct democracy. The then Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-led government was forced to form Rakhkhi Bahini and introduce one-party rule to maintain law and order in the face of anarchism by Gano Bahini."
Mentioning that Inu was supposed to be hanged for creating chaos in the army after 1975, Ripon said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman saved his life at that time.
He alleged that the Information Minister is making unguarded remarks against Khaleda to appease Sheikh Hasina and save his cabinet post.