Editorial
Human rights watch report
Dismissive reactions miss the point
In a typical reaction to criticism on human rights violations, the Ministry of Home Affairs trashed the latest report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), an internationally reputed body, terming it as "totally false, baseless and imaginary." Critical comments on human rights situation evoke another characteristic reaction, which is, that it is part of an 'international conspiracy to create a bad image of Bangladesh.'
The issues of contention revolve around alleged excesses committed by the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the government's handling of the BDR mutiny trial that allegedly led to gross violations of human rights.
Summarily binning the report is certainly not the answer. This is tantamount to denying the benefit of perceptions held by an international human rights body of some standing, and in the process missing out on some plausible allegations.
Let us not forget that from time to time our civil society, various rights activists and the media have highlighted the impingements on human rights. Such concerns have not received legitimate attention, far less lead to corrective action.
That said, we take issue with HRW when it states that government should disband the elite law and order agency RAB. No state can be asked by an international body to disband an agency created by law. By the same token, how does HRW demand of the government to stop the ongoing trial process? Clearly, it has gone beyond its remit in these areas.
The report, we believe, should be scanned with due diligence to determine the merit or otherwise of the allegations by HRW and, if need be, take cognisance of the allegations.
Overall, these are serious allegations; allegations that need to be looked into by the State out of our own volition as part of the internal checks-and-balances that any government upholds in a democratic country.
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