Tuesday, March 1, 2011

HR violation prevalent in country: HRC chief

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman Khan on Monday said human rights violation is prevalent in the country despite its rate decreasing.

Prof Khan said torture in custody will reduce considerably if the home ministry issues a notice announcing special punishment for it.

He was addressing a press conference to launch a report on Human Rights of Minorities in Bangladesh in 2010.

Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) and Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) jointly organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the city.

The NHRC chief said some 28 posts are lying vacant in the commission due to bureaucratic tangles, which is hampering its activities a lot.

“Bureaucrats create obstacles to the appointment process ignoring the Prime Minister’s directive,” he commented.

The NHRC chief urged the human rights activists to inform them first about any human rights violation instead of foreigners.

“Anybody can inform it to foreigners if the commission fails to protect human rights. Please come to us and create pressure on us so that we can play our role. It is our duty to protect the image of the country,” he said.

Reading out a keynote paper, BIHR Executive Director Shahanur Islam said repression on the minority communities including Hindu, Ahmadiyya Muslim and Christian is very common in Bangladesh.

He called for ensuring neutral investigation into the incidents of human rights violation so that the victims can get justice.

He also urged the government to implement the Vested Property Act immediately and announce timeframe for implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord.

BIHR President Mohammad Alamgir presided over the programme.

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