Killings by security forces: Govt took few measures to probe those

The Bangladesh government has taken a few measures to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption, abuse and killing by security forces, said the US State Department in its annual human rights report.

The 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices launched by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington early yesterday made mentions of reports of widespread impunity for security force abuses and corruption in Bangladesh.

It said while the law provides for an independent judiciary, corruption and political interference has compromised the independence.

At a briefing at the American Centre, US embassy officials said the document, which portrays the human rights situation of 198 countries, is prepared based on reports from civil society organisations and media.

The report bears significance as the US imposed sanctions on Rab and seven of its current and former officials on human rights grounds in December last year.

The Biden Administration has found progress in Rab's human rights record since the sanction.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said the report contains some misinformation collected primarily from anti-government propaganda machines, terming it wrong, a lie and far from reality.

"We are studying the report thoroughly and will share in detail with the press on Sunday," he told journalists at the foreign ministry, reports UNB.

According to the US report, there were numerous reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings.

For example, it said, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) reported at least 80 individuals died in extrajudicial killings in 2021, including 51 in so-called shootouts or crossfires with law enforcement agencies. Between May 2018 and June, ASK reported a total of 606 incidents of alleged extrajudicial executions.

Although policy requires internal investigations of all significant uses of force by police, usually by a professional standards unit that reports directly to the inspector general of police, the government neither released statistics on total killings by security personnel nor took comprehensive measures to investigate cases, the report added.

Human rights groups and media reported that disappearances and kidnappings, allegedly by security services, have continued. Between January and September 30, 2021, local human rights organisations reported 18 persons became victims of enforced disappearances.

"Numerous organisations also claimed security forces were involved in widespread and routine commission of torture, occasionally resulting in death, for the purpose of soliciting payment of bribes or obtaining confessions," the report adds.

The report said human rights observers maintained that magistrates, attorneys, and court officials demanded bribes from defendants in many cases, or courts ruled under influence of political patronage networks.

It said the law provides criminal penalties for conviction of corrupt government officials, but the government did not implement the law effectively.

The report said police jailed opposition party activists throughout the year for criticising the government regarding its actions in managing Covid-19.

It also said that throughout the year the government widely used the Digital Security Act (DSA) against persons criticising the government.

On December 31, 2021, ASK reported at least 210 journalists faced harassment, physical torture, assault, threats, and lawsuits, including cases filed under the DSA. The organisation stated there were at least 1,134 DSA cases during the year.

The report also highlighted the rights violations of women, minorities, children, workers and socio-economic discrimination.

"Working together, we must commit ourselves to promoting respect for human rights. We must speak honestly about the challenges we face. Progress on human rights begins with the facts," said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas in a statement.