Bangladeshi Human rights activist and lawyer ZI Khan Panna has described 1975 as a period when the nation witnessed the key attacks on human rights, noting that the subsequent indemnity ordinance was the worst thing to see.   “The key attack (on human rights) was in 1975. And nothing can be as worst as the indemnity ordinance,” he said while speaking at a discussion on human rights issues on Saturday (October 15, 2022).  Editors Guild, Bangladesh, a platform of editors, organised the discussion held at the Dhaka Gallery in Banani in the capital. Read PM: During BNP’s regime, human rights were violated at every step Just 41 days into the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, an indemnity ordinance was promulgated by Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed, who grabbed state power immediately after the brutal killing by putting martial law in place. The ordinance was issued on September 26, 1975 with an aim to block any legal or other proceedings against the killers and those who were involved in proclaiming martial law on the morning of August 15, 1975. Panna also described the post-1975 development and how people were brutally tortured. He claimed existence of “Aynaghar” in the post 1975 period and he was one of the victims of that. “There’re many victims,” he said, mentioning few names and brutal nature of tortures on them. Read UN experts seek more help for human rights defenders in push for accountability in Myanmar Panna also highlighted the present situation, saying there are some failures. “I would say avoiding tendency, not limitations.” He said the CHT peace treaty is the one of the best agreements without involvement of any third party or country. The rights activist credited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for this. Talking about the glorious War of Liberation, he said Bangladesh is a unique nation in world history. Read: Bangabandhu Memorial Museum: Witness to History and Tragedy The rights activist said nobody can show a country in the world except Bangladesh whose 30 lakh people sacrificed their lives in a period of 9 months. “You can’t show in world history. Bangladesh is a unique country.” He said it was not a conventional war, but it was a people's war. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman, human rights activist Khushi Kabir, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, among others, spoke at the discussion on human rights issues moderated by Editors’ Guild President and Editor-in-Chief of Ekattor Television Mozammel Babu. Read ASK September report paints grim picture of human rights in Bangladesh

The Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF), an entity committed to protecting and promoting human rights across the country, on Wednesday expresses its deep concern over continuing increase in human rights violations.   At the same time, the organisation also strongly condemned the alleged inaction of the government to prevent the incidents of human rights violation.  In its monthly report, the MSF said at least three people died in the custody of law enforcement agencies, three other people died by jumping into water and in a collision with a bus while trying to escape arrest in August.  In addition to the unethical actions of some members of the police, allegations of their involvement in several crimes including indecent behaviour, torture, extortion and robbery, harassment and rape have been published in the media, the report said.   The MSF prepared the report based on information published in various media and also collected information by MSF own source.  Read: UN human rights expert on climate change to visit Bangladesh from Sept 4-15 During the period between August 1 and August 31, eight people died in prison custody which is six more than the previous month July,. Among them, one was allegedly died of illness after being sent to prison after being tortured.   A speech-impaired young woman committed suicide while in custody. It is also illegal to keep a disabled person in jail without committing a crime.   MSF considers that the incidents of death in custody and torture in prisons are alarming and necessary action has to be taken urgently based on proper investigation.  Around 62 incidents of violence in the political arena during the programs of the opposition parties in different districts of the country occurred. Besides, one incident of post-Union Parishad election violence was also happened during the times in August.  According to information in the media, 62 political violence and post-UP election violence caused lives of four people during times in August.  In August, 799 people became victims of violence, of which 722 people were injured, 30 people were shot and seriously injured and 43 people were detained.   Among the victims, one was members of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), two workers of Awami League and one was stabbed to death in UP election conflict. Out of the 30 shot injuries, 27 are BNP workers and three are from Awami League. Apart from that, among those detained, four are from the Left Democratic Alliance, 35 are from BNP, one is from Awami League and three are bus drivers and assistant transport workers.  Violence against women and children such as; Rape, gang rape, sexual harassment, suicide and domestic violence especially physical violence have increased in most cases compared to previous months which is very alarming.  Around 534 incidents of violence against women and children have taken place in last month, which is 180 more than previous month of July.   Among those incidents, 66 were rape incidents, 24 organized rapes and two were incidents of murdered after raped. Among them, three disabled children and adolescents and four disabled women and two disabled children and adolescents.  Fourteen journalists were injured in 38 incidents, the body of one female journalist was recovered, three journalists were attacked, six were assaulted, 14 journalists were threatened in various ways due to being hindered in their professional duties in August.   MSF believes that attacks on freedom of thought and conscience and the exercise of obstacle on freedom of speech are undermining independent journalism and the free flow of information. Common people are deprived of objective news.  Nine incidents of killing, vandalizing of idols, land grabbing and harassment of religious and ethnic minorities at different levels were reported during the period in August.   Naren Munda of the Munda community was beaten to death by Lathial bahini. Besides, 14 idols were vandalized in different temples of Pirojpur, Khulna, Jhenaidah, Kurigram, Bogura and Manikganj, one temple was set on fire and six houses were attacked and set on fire.  Eleven people including Bhumi Raksha Sangram Committee leader Rangdhajan Tripura and Langkam Mro are being harassed in Sarai Union of Lama Upazila of Bandarban by filing false cases, the MSF report added. 

A chamber court of the Appellate Division has fixed October 17 to hear a petition filed by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus against a High Court order rejecting his plea to dispose the labour law violation case against him. Chamber Judge M Enayetur Rahim fixed the date on Wednesday. Senior Lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun stood for Dr Yunus, while Md Khurshid Alam Khan represented the labour court. Md Arifuzzaman, a labour inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), lodged a case with Dhaka Third Labour Court against Dr Yunus and three other people accusing them of breaching the Labour Act on September 9, 2021. Read: Appellate Division declares Tareq's wife Zubaida a fugitive  Yunus filed a petition before the High Court seeking cancellation of the case. On December 12, the High Court put a stay order on the proceedings of the case and issued a rule asking why the case won’t be scrapped. The prosecution then filed a petition with the Appellate Division asking for resuming the trial proceedings. On June 13, 2022, the Appellate Division ordered the High Court to dispose of the rule within two months. On August 17, the High Court nullified its ruling and pronounced a verdict on the petition filed by Dr Yunus. On August 24, 2022, Yunus filed a petition with the Appellate Division against the High Court’s verdict, the hearing date of which was fixed today.

Turning down the allegations of human rights violation against seven present and former officials of RAB, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday said every incident of HR violation is investigated properly in Bangladesh and legal action taken accordingly.  “If any incident of human rights violation is reported, investigations are carried out through magistrates. Legal action is taken here if any government agency violates human rights,” he said. The minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after attending a programme at Dhaka Wasa in the city. “The US has not imposed the sanctions neutrally. They did it based on exaggerated news. Maintaining law and order is a challenging task in Bangladesh,” he said. READ: Bangladesh’s illegal drug problem lies in its geographical location: Home Minister “Drug peddlers use firearms for self-defence that leads to gunfights with the members of law enforcement agencies, causing casualties,” he added. On Friday, the United States imposed human rights-related sanctions on Benzir Ahmed, the current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director General of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and six other individuals on the occasion of International Human Rights Day. The US Department of State announced visa restrictions on Benazir Ahmed what it says due to his “involvement in gross violation of human rights” making him ineligible for entry into the United States. RAB as an entity, Benzir Ahmed, and six other officials were designated by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme in connection with serious human rights abuse, said the US Department of State. Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Lieutenant Colonel and former commanding officer of RAB Unit 7, was designated, according to the US Department of State. The US Department of State mentioned the May 2018 “extrajudicial killing” of Teknaf City Municipal Councilor Ekramul Haque in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar district. The following individuals are designated pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13818: Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, Director General, RAB, Benzir Ahmed, former Director General, RAB, January 2015 to April 14, 2020, Khan Mohammad Azad, Additional Director General (Operations), RAB, March 16, 2021 to present, Tofayel Mustafa Sorwar, former Additional Director General (Operations), RAB, June 27, 2019 to March 16, 2021, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, former Additional Director General (Operations), RAB, September 17, 2018 to June 27, 2019 and Mohammad Anwar Latif Khan, former Additional Director General (Operations), RAB, April 28, 2016 to September 17, 2018, according to the US Department of Treasury. The EO 13818 means blocking of property in the US. It is the first time individuals or entities from Bangladesh have been the subject of US sanctions. READ: Security forces working to help EC hold fair polls: Home Minister They were announced as part of a raft of new rights-abuse sanctions on senior officials and entities in eight countries, with targets ranging from a Chinese firm specializing in facial recognition technology to a giant cartoon studio in North Korea. The measure was partly supported by the UK and Canada, although not in the case of the Bangladeshi officials or RAB.

At least 100 buses have been seized for operating services flouting the government’s directives in Cumilla district in the last two days till Sunday night. Additional superintendent of Cumilla Highway Police Mollah Mohammad Shahin, said as per the government directives they have set up a number of check-posts on Dhaka-Chattogram highway’s Alekharchar, Miarbazar and others important points to prevent movement of inter-district buses. Also Read:Bus services resume in Bangladesh cities During the regular check, the highway police found at least one hundred buses are carrying passengers from one district to another district ignoring the government’s directives to prevent transmission of coronavirus. All the buses have been kept at the respective police stations and police camp and cases have been filed in this connection. Public transport services were suspended in Bangladesh on April 5 with the government announcing a countrywide restriction to curb the spread of coronavirus. Also Read: Police seize four buses for violating lockdown norms in Jashore On April 30, the transport owners’ association urged the government to immediately resume bus services in the country. The association also demanded food assistance for the unemployed transport workers. On May 3, the government decided to allow the intra-district public transport services with effect from May 6 after extending the ongoing restriction till May 16  

A mobile court in Chandpur has imposed fines of Tk one lakh on a restaurant and the organiser of a post-wedding party at the venue for violating Covid prevention protocols. Executive magistrate Mohammad Ujjal Hossain on Friday fined Rasuighar Chinese Restaurant and Party Centre in Chandpur district town and Abdul Latif of Faridganj upazila Tk 50,000 each for not adhering to government's Covid guidelines. Ujjal Hossain said the local administration has issued guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus as the country has been of late seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases as well as deaths. Also read: Restaurant business bleeds as Coronavirus cases surge Besides, the mobile court also fined nine people Tk 1,900 for ignoring Covid health guidelines across the district town on the same day. Govt strengthens protective steps The daily surge prompted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to issue an 18-point directive on March 29 to prevent the transmission of the virus. On the same day, the Health Ministry proposed strict measures like partial lockdowns for some places with higher Covid-19 transmission rates. Read Safe Lifestyle in COVID-19 Lockdown: Do's, Don'ts, and Precautions Other recommendations made by the ministry include closure of amusement centres and picnic spots, ban on religious gatherings, limiting wedding ceremonies, strengthening quarantine systems, limiting passengers in public transport, and limiting attendance in offices. It also suggested strong enforcement of the ‘no mask, no service’ policy, increasing the number of mobile courts and slapping fines on health guideline violators. Authorities in various districts have shut down amusement centres and are urging people to wear masks. But a large number of people are still reluctant to follow Covid protocols, putting themselves as well as others around them at risk. Read Covid surge: Mobile courts to ensure mask use soon Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh on Friday recorded more than 6,800 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, as the government ramps up efforts to contain the transmission of the virus. Bangladesh has so far recorded 624,594 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read 25 fined in city for not wearing mask Vaccination drive The government launched a countrywide vaccination campaign on February 7 with doses received from the Serum Institute of India. Bangladesh inked an agreement with Serum in December last year for acquiring 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Serum is supposed to supply the doses between January and June this year – 5 million each month. Read Mobile court demolishes six illegal brick kilns in Magura

A case was filed against seven people including a UP chairman for abducting a beautician and violating her in Keraniganj upazila on Wednesday.