ACHR: Bangladesh, worst Human Rights violator among SAARC countries

Source- http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2008/08/SAARC-2008_01.pdf

With 46 points, Bangladesh was ranked No. 2 human rights violator in the
region. On political freedom, Bangladesh scores the worst in the region
with an effective ban on politics. In the first 10 months of 2007, a total
of 440,684 people had been arrested and of these, only 239,480 were issued
arrest warrants. Only 778 were wanted by the police for criminal offences.

The Rapid Action Battalion and other security forces carried out 184 in
so-called “cross-fire” killings – a euphemism for extrajudicial killings.
The use of torture in Bangladesh is routine. Impunity for human rights
violations is total.

Bangladesh is the only country where any law i.e. Emergency Powers Rules
of 2007 have been applied retroactively – a non-derogable principle in the
administration of justice under international human rights law.

On press freedom, the government arrested numerous journalists in cases
that raised serious concerns over the application of the law.

Indigenous/tribal peoples and minorities continued to be the target of
attacks by the majority and the State. The government has intensified
illegal settlement of plain settlers into the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The
extent of the discrimination is hard to believe. A new study by Dhaka
University showed that some 1.2 million or 44 per cent of the 2.7 million
Hindu households in Bangladesh were affected by the Enemy Property Act,
1965 and the Vested Property Act, 1974. Effectively the law is empowered
to describe 2.7 million innocent citizens as ‘enemies of the State’ and if
they so wish seize their properties.

Human rights activists were subject to surveillance. Those defenders from
or working with indigenous and minority communities were the subject of
particular harassment. The government has failed to punish the guilty
responsible for the custodial killing of indigenous Garo leader, Choles
Ritchil in March 2007.