Human Rights
UPR Recommendations: ARTICLE 19 calls for developing national mechanisms to ensure accountability
ARTICLE 19, a human rights organization based in the UK, has called for the creation of concerted and effective national mechanisms in Bangladesh to ensure the accountability in implementing the recommendations of the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The rights body promoting freedom of expression and the protection of journalists around the world has also called for specific progress to be made public in the implementation of the commitments made by the Bangladesh government four years back to improve the human rights situation.
The government of Bangladesh during its third UPR at the 39th session of the UNHRC in Geneva on 20 September 2018 accepted 178 recommendations from other UN member-states, of which at least 25 recommendations were related to strengthening the protection of freedom of expression, said ARTICLE 19 on Tuesday.
Read: National plan of action needed to counter hate speech: ARTICLE 19
The government will have to submit a national report on implementation progress and existing impediments in June and participate in the review in November of the next year, it said.
Faruq Faisel, regional director for ARTICLE 19 South Asia, said during the 39th session of the UNHRC on UPR, a high level of concern was raised about the potential misuse and abuse of the proposed Digital Security Act (DSA) 2018.
The government has informed the visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet that the committee submitted a report on the matter, he said, adding that “ARTICLE 19 demands that this report to be made public and the repressive sections identified in the law to be repealed immediately.’’
US committed to help Bangladesh implement SDGs: Sison
US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison has said that the US is committed to strengthening cooperation for the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.
She said the discussion on cooperation and coordination with UN agencies in Bangladesh is critical to this effort.
In Dhaka, the US Assistant Secretary is discussing mutual priorities at the UN, including peacekeeping, food security, human rights, and global health.
Sison arrived here on Saturday evening as part of her tri-nation official tour.
Director General (Americas wing) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nayem Uddin Ahmed received her at the airport.
Bangladesh and the United States will “further follow up” the discussions that the two countries had over the last few months during her visit to Bangladesh.
Read: US Assistant Secretary Sison in city
Dhaka’s demand for withdrawal of sanctions on elite force Rab and the Rohingya issue are also expected to be discussed during the visit.
“We have multi-faceted relationship with the United States,” said foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday, adding that many issues can be discussed.
He said they are known to each other and will be able to have “free and frank” discussion on many issues.
The US assistant secretary has already visited India and will go to Kuwait as part of her tri-nation visit from August 2-10.
Sison will have consultations on a range of US multilateral priorities, including combating food insecurity, advancing global health, addressing human rights and humanitarian needs, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and support for Rohingya refugees during her stay in Bangladesh.
Sison was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs on December 21, 2021.
She served as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives (2012-2014), US Ambassador to Lebanon (2008-2010), and US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (2004-2008).
Rights defenders, journalists demand release of Indian journalist Zubair
Human rights defenders and journalists at a program in Dhaka demanded the immediate release of Mohammed Zubair, an Indian journalist who co-founded the fact-checking website AltNews, following his arrest last Monday by a cyber unit of Delhi Police.
It followed a sustained campaign against Zubair on India's rightwing media for weeks, that sought to dig through his entire tweet history and highlight anything that might be deemed offensive.
They found their best bet in a tweet from 2018, in which Zubair had posted a screengrab from a 1983 Bollywood filman old movie on his Twitter handle in 2018 that was deemed derogatory against Hinduism, which was the reason behind Zubair’s arrest, claimed his lawyer Vrinda Grover.
After arresting Zubair, the Indian authority also seized his laptop. Vrinda Grover claimed that his laptop has nothing to do with the case, as the Indian media report. The lawyer argued that Zubair is targeted for his “name, faith and profession”.
“Zubair was arrested just for uncovering the truth,” Nur Khan Liton, a human rights defender, told media after attending a human chain in Dhaka on Sunday demanding immediate release of Zubair. “And the journalists in Bangladesh often suffer from the Digital Security Act as well. As human rights defenders, we want to stand by every victim of human rights violations around the globe.”
In 2017, Zubair co-founded AltNews with Pratik Sinha, which is today regarded as one of the biggest fact-checking websites in the world.
Read: Arrest of Indian Muslim journalist sparks widespread outrage
“They (Indian authorities) say that they arrested Zubair for a Tweet insulting to religion. It’s not true,” Arifuzzaman Tuhin, a journalist based in Dhaka said. “He was actually arrested so that he cannot check the facts.”
Many in India remain convinced that the concerted campaign against Zubair was a reaction to him flagging the video of Nupur Sharma, the firebrand national spokesperson of the ruling BJP, from a tv appearance in May where she is seen speaking disrespectfully about Prophet Muhammad.
It caused an uproar that soon went international, as New Delhi's important allies in the Gulf, led by Qatar, took a strong stance on the issue. Eventually, the BJP had to fire Sharma from her post to handle the fallout.
Zubair was arrested based on a complaint made by a police officer. According to the local media, the police officer filed the complaint after noticing an objection to Zubair’s 2018 Tweet by a Twitter user.
Read: Leading Muslim journo held in India
Senior officials of the Delhi Police told ANI that the arrest was made based on the complaint of a Twitter user Hanuman Bhakt @ balajikijaiin who tagged the Delhi Police in the four-year-old tweet by Zubair.
On Saturday, Zubair was produced before the Delhi court after a five-day police remand. The court has denied a bail plea made by Zubair’s lawyer. He, instead, is sent to jail for 14-day judicial custody.
Overturning of Roe v Wade abortion law huge blow to women's rights: Bachelet
Friday's decision by the US Supreme Court to strip the nation's constitutional protections for abortion, overturning the 50-year-old Roe v Wade judgment, is a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality, the UN human rights chief has said.
The decision was made in the specific case of Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health, and Michelle Bachelet said it represents a "major setback" for sexual and reproductive health across the US.
The historic decision returns all questions of legality and access to abortion to the individual states.
Earlier the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that 45 percent of all abortions around the world are unsafe, making the procedure a leading cause of maternal death.
The agencies said it was inevitable that more women will die, as restrictions by national or regional governments increase.
"Whether abortion is legal or not, it happens all too often. Data show that restricting access to abortion does not prevent people from seeking an abortion, it simply makes it more deadly," the UNFPA said.
According to the agencies' "State of World Population Report 2022," nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended, and over 60 percent of these may end in abortion.
Read: Myanmar’s people deserve return to democracy ending systemic discrimination: Bachelet
The UNFPA said it feared that more unsafe abortions will occur around the world if access becomes more restricted.
Bachelet said access to safe, legal and effective abortion is firmly rooted in international human rights law and is at the core of women and girls' autonomy, and ability to make their own choices about their bodies and lives, free of discrimination, violence and coercion.
This decision strips such autonomy from millions of women in the US, in particular those with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, to the detriment of their fundamental rights, she added.
The rights chief highlighted that the decision came after more than 50 countries with previously restrictive laws have liberalised their abortion legislation over the past 25 years.
With the ruling, the US is regrettably moving away from this progressive trend, she said.
Meanwhile, the UN agency, UN Women, said the ability of women to control what happens to their own bodies, is also associated with the roles women are able to play in society, whether as a member of the family, the workforce, or government.
Read: States need to invest in HR to achieve peace, security, dev: Bachelet
The 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, signed by 179 countries including the US, recognised how deadly unsafe abortions are and urged all countries to provide post-abortion care to save lives, irrespective of the legal status of abortion.
The document – resulting from a high-level meeting in Cairo, Egypt – also highlighted that all people should be able to access quality information about their reproductive health and contraceptives.
Internet shutdowns hurt human rights, economy, daily life: UN
The real-life effects of shutdowns of the internet on people's lives and human rights are vastly underestimated, according to the UN human rights office.
When major communication channels and networks are slowed down or blocked, this means thousands, even millions of people are deprived of their only means of reaching loved ones, medical assistance, and participating in political debates or decisions, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) report published Thursday said.
"When you see a shutdown happen, it's time to start worrying about human rights," Peggy Hicks, director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division of the OHCHR, said.
Shutdowns deepen digital divides between and within countries and are happening in places where there are deteriorating human rights situations, Peggy added.
At a time when substantial development aid is directed towards enhancing connectivity in less developed countries, some of the beneficiaries of that assistance are themselves deepening the digital divide through shutdowns.
At least 27 of the 46 least developed countries implemented shutdowns between 2016 and 2021 despite receiving support to increase their Internet connectivity, Peggy said.
The first major internet shutdown took place in Egypt in 2011, during the Tahrir Square protests that led to hundreds of arrests and killings.
Shutdowns can mean a complete block on internet connectivity, but governments also increasingly ban access to major communication platforms and limit bandwidth and mobile services to 2G transfer speeds, making it difficult to share and watch videos or live picture broadcasts.
Many states refuse to acknowledge interfering in communications or putting pressure on telecom companies to prevent them from sharing information.
The official justification for the shutdowns was unknown in 228 cases reported by civil society across 55 countries.
When authorities recognise having ordered disruptions, justifications often point to public safety, containing the spread of hostility or violence, or combating disinformation.
Yet, shutdowns often achieve the exact opposite. According to Peggy, "199 shutdowns were justified by public safety concerns, and 150 were based on national security grounds. But many of those shutdowns were followed by spikes in violence."
When a state shuts down the internet, both people and economies suffer. The costs to jobs, education, healthcare, and political participation virtually always exceed any hoped-for benefit.
"We call on states to stop doing this, stop imposing shutdowns. Shutdowns are simply never the best answer. Their costs are simply too great to economies, democracy, and people's daily lives," Peggy said.
Also read: The limits of analog censorship in a digital era
National plan of action needed to counter hate speech: ARTICLE 19
ARTICLE 19, the UK-based human rights organization with an emphasis on free speech, has urged the Bangladesh government to develop and implement a national plan of action to counter hate speech.Kenya recently became the first country in the world to declare a national plan of action for the purpose.ARTICLE 19 also sees the need to step up efforts of the Bangladesh government and other concerned stakeholders to promote inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and tolerance that counters hate speech.Read: ARTICLE 19 to support troubled journalists, activists in Bangladesh
The rights-based organization raised the issue on the eve of the UN's “International Day for Countering Hate Speech”, which will be marked for the first time on June 18.Faruq Faisel, South Asia Regional Director of ARTICLE 19, said the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech is becoming a deep concern in Bangladesh and around the world."Although hate speech is not a new phenomenon, the scale and impacts of hate speech have amplified due to the advent of new technologies and online communication. In Bangladesh, physical and verbal attacks against religious and ethnic minorities are on the rise due to the influence of hate speech, especially online,” said Faisel.ARTICLE 19 called on the government and other concerned stakeholders to ensure that religions, beliefs and ethnicity are not used to violate human rights, and urges all, both the government and citizens to combat hate speech – which is a threat to human rights of the citizens of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh urges global solidarity to address gaps in migrants’ human rights
Bangladesh has called for enhanced global solidarity to address gaps in migrants’ human rights and protection.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam made the call at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
He was speaking at Roundtable-4 of the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) at the UN as a panelist.
The roundtable focused on five specific goals of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) pertaining to data, information provisions, reduction of vulnerabilities, elimination of discrimination, and international cooperation.
Also read: German envoy “unhappy” over BNP misquoting him on democracy & human rights in Bangladesh
The Shahriar stressed that the need of the hour is to improve cooperation among governments, humanitarian actors, consulates, and UN agencies to save lives and reduce risks and vulnerabilities for migrants during their migratory journey, including those caught up in situations of crisis.
Amnesty, RSF, TIB lost credibility in Bangladesh, says Info Minister
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday came down heavily on the organisations like Amnesty International, RSF and TIB for what he said their biased reporting on human rights, press freedom and corruption in Bangladesh.
“These organisations have lost their credibility because of their partiality against Bangladesh,” Hasan told the members of Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) in reply to a question.
He said that the Bangladesh branch of Transparency International (TI) issues statements like a political party instead of any research on an issue.
Also read:Hasan trashes RSF report on press freedom as malicious & unacceptable
In support of his criticism the minister cited a couple of recent examples such as TIB’s statement against the railway minister on the ticketless travel by three of his relatives and allegation of corruption in the treatment of Covid-19 patients in Bangladesh.
Hasan said TIB’s allegation of plundering about Tk 23,000 crore on Covid vaccines was baseless and a misreporting of what the health minister said.
Turning to the Amnesty International (AI) the minister said it was silent when BNP launched the petrol bomb campaign against the government in the name of agitation. It, however, was vocal against the trial of the war criminals in Bangladesh.
“This is how Amnesty International has lost its credibility here,” he observed.
The minister once again rejected the latest press freedom index published by Paris-based RSF (Reporters Without Border) in which Bangladesh slipped 10 notches to 162 among the 180 countries of the world where the survey was done.
How one can trust an organization which places Bangladesh behind even Afghanistan, not at all known for press freedom and security of journalists, he asked.
Responding to another question Hasan said Bangladesh Press Council and Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) have been asked to prepare a data base of journalists in the country.
This, he said, is aimed at identifying the genuine journalists so they get security in carrying out their work and keeping the job.
When done the proposed data base will also leave out those who are not journalists at all.
Hasan reiterated that the Digital Security Act (DSA) has been made for the overall security of the people from digital harassment and assaults on their dignity and privacy.
“This is absolutely not against journalists,” he reaffirmed though admitting abuses in some cases.
He said there have been some abuses of the law against journalists and the government acted to stop it.
Also read: Info minister considers legal action against TIB for lies
No case under the DSA can be filed now without permission from the police and no journalist can either be arrested in sweeping action, he said. “The interests of journalists are being protected,” he said.
In his opening remarks Hasan highlighted the achievements of his ministry in safeguarding the interests of journalists and creation of an environment congenial to their work.
He especially referred to the formation of Sangbadik Kallyan Trust by the order of the prime minister and distribution of about Tk 23 crore among media people since its start in 2014.
China issues report on U.S. human rights violations
China's State Council Information Office on Monday issued the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2021.
The report said the human rights situation in the United States, which has notorious records, worsened in 2021. Its political manipulation led to a sharp surge in COVID-19 deaths while shooting deaths in the country hit a new record.
Read: Human rights defenders in Myanmar under siege, say UN experts
Fake democracy trampled on people's political rights and violent law enforcement made life harder for migrants and refugees in the United States, it said.
The report also highlighted the country's growing discrimination against ethnic minority groups, especially people of Asian descent.
Unilateral U.S. actions created new humanitarian crises across the globe, it added.
Bangladesh an important security partner, says US
The United States considers Bangladesh an “important security partner” and wants to make sure that its assistance is used consistent with the US laws and principles as the two countries are looking for greater cooperation on all fronts in the days to come paying respects to human rights.
There is “still room” for Bangladesh to go for a “written agreement” with the USA under the “Leahy” law which is a global requirement, an official at the US Embassy in Dhaka told UNB on Sunday.
Bangladesh has not replied yet to the US request for a thorough scrutiny into the legal aspects of the whole issue though this “global requirement” took effect on January 1 this year.
Read:UK to stand next to Bangladesh as trusted friend, partner: Lord Ahmad
Asked whether there is any impact for the delay, the US Embassy official said, “There has been no impact (as of now).”
It was earlier mentioned that such requirement regarding a written agreement shall take effect not later than December 31, 2021.
The United States added a new requirement to the “Leahy” law that applies to certain transfers of assistance.
The new Leahy law provision requires a written agreement that the recipient government will comply with the Leahy law prohibition on assistance to any foreign security forces unit that is credibly implicated in a gross violation of human rights.
Leahy law helps ensure that human rights are not violated, said the official, noting that it reaffirms that whoever receives this assistance is not going to commit gross violation of human rights.
The US says their bilateral relationship with Bangladesh is “strong” and they expect to expand it with greater cooperation in place.
“This year is really an opportunity to build on those strong ties that we have in the areas of commerce, trade and also in security cooperation,” said the US official.
Terming the latest changes in the Leahy law “very small and narrow” he said no assistance may be provided in cases where the recipient security force unit or units cannot be identified prior to the transfer of assistance, unless a written agreement is in place.
Read:Don’t believe wholesale sanctions on Bangladesh warranted: Congressman Meeks
The Leahy law, named after its main sponsor US Senator Patrick Leahy, applies to military and law enforcement programmes.
It prohibits the provision of assistance to foreign security force units where there is credible information that the unit has committed gross violations of human rights with impunity.
In the Fiscal Year 2021, Department of State appropriations act, Congress imposed new requirements that apply when the Department provides security assistance in a manner in which the recipient unit cannot be identified – and therefore cannot be Leahy vetted – in advance of the transfer of assistance, according to Leahy law fact sheet. “This is a global requirement, and there are no waivers or exceptions.”