The State of Human Rights for the Month of May 2010

Ref: BIHR/HRR/05/06/2010                                                                               Date: 01.06.10

Despite of promising to promote human right, especially stop all kind of Extra-judicial Killing in Bangladesh, the Incident of Human Rights Violation is Continuing

(The State of Human Rights for the Month of May 2010)

The Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation registered with the Department of Social Welfare, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh based on the United Nation Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) dedicated to promote and protect human rights in Bangladesh. BIHR publishes its state of Human Rights for the period of May 01 to April 31, 2010. The report was prepared by the research and documentation cell of BIHR on the basis of report published on 12 national news papers from May 01 to May 31, 2010, fact-finding mission and its direct sources. BIHR is resents and is deeply concerned over the continuing human rights violations in Bangladesh despite the promises to promote human rights, especially in regards to Extra-judicial Killing. Adv. Shahanur Islam, the Secretary General of BIHR asks the Government to take prompt and effective measures ensuring and end to all kinds of violations as well as demands to investigate and bring the alleged perpetrations before the book, forming a special commission.

Human Rights Violation by State Party

Torture:

BIHR defines “torture” as the violation of human rights anywhere in Bangladesh by any means enacted by personnel of the law enforcing agencies. During the reporting period May 1^st to 31^st in 2010, 132 people were tortured several places in Bangladesh by law enforcing agencies. Of these people four were at fault for their own deaths. Among them 121 people were tortured by policemen, nine were tortured by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and two were tortured by other members of law enforcement agencies.

Death due to Killing:

During the reporting period, law enforcement agencies killed 18 people in different places in Bangladesh. Among them nine people were killed by policemen and nine were killed by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Among the incident 12 people were killed in the name of so called gun shootings, two were killed in the name of cross fire, and four were killed by torturing in police and RAB custody.

Death in Custody:

During the reporting period four people died in Police and RAB custody due to torture and three people died for different reasons.

Border Conflict:

                                                                                                      

During the reporting period, 17 incidences of human rights violations were perpetrated by the Border Security Force (BSF), India. Among the incident eight Bangladeshi citizens were killed by shootings, five people were injured due to torture and eight people were abducted by the BSF.

                                                           

                                                                       

Organized Violence

Death due to Political Violence:

During the reporting period 12 political leaders, activists and supporters were killed in different political parties in Bangladesh. Among them seven were the leaders, activist and supporter of the ruling party in Bangladesh, the Awami league and its associated wings, and five were leaders, activist and supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Among them four people from the Awami league and its associated wings were murdered due to internal conflicts and another three were murdered by terrorists. Moreover, four people from the BNP and its associated wings were murderd by terrorists and another was murdered by a member of the Bangladesh Awami Legue.

Injured due to Political Violence:

During the reporting period 730 political leaders, activists and supporters from different political parties in Bangladesh were injured. Among them 550 were the leaders, activists and supporters of the ruling party the Bangladesh Awami League and its associated wings, in which 450 of them were injured due to inner-party clashing and 75 were injured at the hand of the BNP and its associated wings. 25 people were injured by other parties and terrorists. Meanwhile, 180 leaders, activist and supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its associated wings were injured, which of them 86 were injured due to inner-party clashes, 84 were injured at the hand of Bangladesh Awami League and its associate wings and ten were injured by the hand of others.

Minority Repression:

During the reporting period During the period, 56 minority peoples were injured, three were abducted and 11 were murdered due to 14 incidents of human rights violations including attacks, looting, vandalism, abduction and murder. These offenses have taken place against the ethnical and religious minority community in Bangladesh.

Violence against Women and Children

Rape and attempt to Rape:         

During the reporting period a total 49 women and children were raped. Among them three were killed by perpetrators after rape and two committed suicide after being raped. During the period 11 women and children were victimized in gang rape. Besides these incidents, 11 women and children were victimized in attempted rape.

Eve Teasing & Molestation:

The word molestation means, “sexual harassment through teasing, using abusive worlds, and unwanted disrobing. During the reporting period a total number of 67 women, adolescent girls and children, were victimized in eve teasing and molestation in several places in Bangladesh. Among them five women and children committed suicide. Of them 56 women and children were victimized in eve teasing and 11 were victimized by molestation. Among them, one was victimized by molestation by a doctor while she was admitted as a patient, four were molested by teachers and colleagues and one was victimized by a police officer.

Acid Throwing:

                                                     

During the reporting period six people were victimized by acid throwing. Among them, three were women and two were children.

Violence Due to Dowry:

During the reporting period 21 house wives were killed and 25 were physically assaulted by their husbands or members of their husbands family due to dowry and family related matters. Besides this, 14 house wives committed suicide due to repression from their husbands and his family members in dowry related incidents.                                                              

Abduction and Trafficking:         

During the reporting period 46 people were abducted from different places in Bangladesh. Among them 30 were women, children and adolescent girls. Of them, one girl was raped after abduction.  Besides this, 29 women and girls were rescued from trafficking.                                                 

Suicide and suspected death:

During the reporting period 97 people committed suicide in different places in Bangladesh. Among them were 14 house wives that committed suicide due to repression by their husbands and his family members related to dowry and conjugal disputes, six adolescent girls committed suicide due to being deceived by their lovers and five adolescent girls committed suicide due to eve teasing by the lecher. Besides this, ten were suspected death, which of them, six were women and three were domestic workers.

Other Social Violence

General Killing and Injury:

During the reporting period 243 people died due to different kinds of social violence in several place throughout Bangladesh. Among them 51 were women and six were children.

Death due to Negligence and Dead Body Recovery:         

During the reporting period ten people died due to negligence as well as wrong treatment provided by their doctors. Among them two were women and two were children.  In the same time, 72 dead bodies were found in deferent places throughout Bangladesh. Among them 21 were women and 11 were children.     

Journalist and Human Rights Defender Repression:

Journalists and human rights defenders are considered to be the conscience of society. During the reporting period 17 were physically assaulted, one was murdered and one received a death threat.   

Violence against Law Enforcement Agencies:         

During the reporting period three members of law enforcement agencies died from different incidents including accidents, 49 were injured during dexecuting their duties and one dead body was recovered.

Recommendation:

To promote the existing human right situation in Bangladesh, it is necessary to stop all kinds of torture and extra-judicial killing as well as other human rights violations; to form a special commission to investigate the entire incident and bring the perpetrators before the law as soon as possible.