Rights group appalled by situation of Bangladesh religious, ethnic minorities Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/briefs/articles/90036739?Rights+group+appalled+by+situation+of+Bangladesh+religious,+ethnic+minorities#ixzz1G1GuMT7U

Report finds that rights defenders continued to be threatened and many remained in exile for fear of persecution should they return to Bangladesh.

A human rights group says the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh is appalling.

The annual Global Human Rights Defense report, released at a press conference in Dhaka, said that women were subjected to incidents of assault, rape and institutional gender-based violence in the form of extrajudicial punishments and arbitrary detention in the name of their "safe custody."

GHRD, based in The Netherlands, said that despite electoral promises of the new democratic government led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina to bring about crucial change, religious and ethnic minorities and women still remain vulnerable to abuse in the majority Sunni Muslim country.

The report, presented by Shahnoor Islam, executive director of Bangladesh Institute for Human Rights (BIHR), said that rights defenders continued to be threatened and many remained in exile for fear of persecution should they return to Bangladesh.
Attacks against Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Christians, Dalit and ethnic communities persisted in 2010, said Rabindra Ghosh, GHRD national observer for Bangladesh.

Pervasive among all the cases investigated was a lack of due diligence by the police, impunity for perpetrators, and a general lack of justice for those attempting to pursue their case.

“It can be argued that the changes instituted are simply cosmetic and remain solely in the theoretical and legal sphere, providing a ‘human rights alibi’ for the government,” the report said.

Dr. Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission, claimed that extrajudicial deaths by an elite anti-crime squad have significantly curtailed since the commission brought attention to the issue.

However, he said that serious human rights abuses continue unabated, especially on the issue of religious freedom. Most of the incidents of religious freedom and violence are against ethnic communities. Rahman, a law professor, considered the attacks to be largely politically motivated.