UN experts on Wednesday said that the interim government must deliver an election and referendum that is ‘genuinely free, fair, safe and inclusive,’ grounded in respect for the human rights of all citizens, as the people of Bangladesh go to polls on Thursday.
“There can be no free and fair election or meaningful political discourse without an equal right to freedom of opinion and expression, access to information and media freedom,” the experts said in a statement.
The UN experts said they have followed with 'great concern the growing intolerance, threats and attacks' on journalists, human rights defenders, civil society actors, women’s groups and minorities as well as violence and killing of political activists with impunity in recent months.
The experts are Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
“While the interim government announced the large-scale deployment of law enforcement and military personnel to protect the electorate and the electoral process, we urge authorities to ensure that all security forces act in line with international human rights standards, respect the right to participation of all citizens and are fully accountable in a transparent process under civilian and judicial oversight,” said the statement.
The experts said they were disturbed by the failure of the Electoral Commission to address serious breaches of the electoral code by political parties, and by its lack of preparedness to tackle the tsunami of disinformation on social media platforms, targeting over 50 million users, many of whom are young, first-time voters, susceptible to manipulation.
“The interim government must reach out to social media companies and act swiftly to counter false or misleading information about the elections, while avoiding disruption of the internet and safeguarding the access of the media and the electorate to reliable, detailed and factual information,” the statement said.
The experts also expressed concern that despite the threats, hostility and attacks against journalists and civil society, no election-specific protocol had been announced by the authorities to protect the media.
“It is still not too late for the government to take the necessary protection and prevention measures to safeguard journalists, as well as human rights defenders, civil society observers, women activists and minority groups,” they said.
“The authorities must halt arrests under repressive laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act and desist from arbitrary detention, intimidation or retaliatory measures.”
The experts urged political parties and candidates to refrain from spreading disinformation or inciting hostility, discrimination or violence, including against women and minorities, smear campaigns against human rights defenders and from seeking to delegitimise or promote distrust in the electoral process.
“This election - born out of a mass uprising that ousted an authoritarian regime - is not only about who will govern Bangladesh next but also about creating a society based on human rights and the rule of law,” the experts said.
“We call on the new Executive to create conditions for tolerance of dissent, promotion of media freedom and pluralism, access to information and gender equality,” they said in the statement.
It said, “For democracy to thrive the new government must uphold the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and public participation without discrimination or unjustified restrictions and create a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders.”
The experts have been in contact with the government of Bangladesh on these issues.