Editorial
Extra-judicial killings
Half-yearly account reads horrific
The number of extra-judicial killings in the first half of the year, according to a report of Ain Shalish Kendro, a dynamic human rights organisation, stands at 63. Neither numerically, or breakup-wise in terms of the agencies killing them off the situation is any better than in the corresponding period of last year.
Actually, the pattern seems to be consistently extensive: Thirty were killed in 'gunfights' with Rab, nine with police, one with a joint team of Rab and Bangladesh Coastguard. Add to these, police torturing eight persons to death and shooting one to death. Also, seventeen inmates and thirty detainees died in police custody.
The statistics speak louder than comments and explode the myth of improving human rights situation. There are two broad implications of such brazen acts of abuse of power and the custodians of law taking law into their own hands aside from other ramifications. The first is that of higher incidence of crime and the second relates to sliding human rights scenario. In between there is a lurking suspicion whether the real criminals are being caught. This stems from the fact most grisly murder incidents are going unsolved with criminals roaming around in a state complete impunity or being shielded away. An impression has grown that law is not for weak and vulnerable and that the general sense of insecurity of the citizens is on the rise.
The ASK report on human right violations draws on newspaper stories. Ironically but not surprisingly perhaps, the journalists themselves are falling prey to killers' hands. At least three journalists were killed in the period under review and forty-three have faced intimidation and death threats allegedly from ruling party men, government officials and criminals. Equally concerning is the fact that a couple of hundred journalists were tortured and one went missing while returning home from work.
Given the vulnerability of journalists it won't be long before they would need special security arrangements to carry out their duties in sensitive beats. A sense of denial of information is collateral to lack of security.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments