The recently-concluded Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bangladesh’s human rights records has been quite a surreal event. When the local media reported arrests of more than10,000 BNP activists, including its top leaders, centring the party’s October 28 rally, diplomats in Geneva were told that Bangladesh had ensured abundant political space for the opposition. Law minister Anisul HUq, who led the Bangladesh delegation and placed its progress report on implementing recommendations of the 2018 UPR, said that Bangladesh was fully committed to upholding fundamental principles and legal obligations of human rights. Certainly, there was no dearth of diplomatic niceties among the representatives of 110 countries, as almost all of them applauded Bangladesh for engaging in the process. But the recommendations they put forward were nothing close to praising the state of human rights in Bangladesh; rather they reflected deep concerns over the worsening situation. But the minister in his post-UP...

It was in December 2010 that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated August 30 as the International Day of the Victtims of Enforced Disappearances, in order to express its deep concern about the increase in enforced disappearances across the world, as well as harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared. Though there has been  widespread allegations of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, particularly  from the second term of the current Awami League government, no credible and independent investigation has been carried out into any of the alleged incidents.  First came wholesale denial of the allegations; then began the ridiculing of accusers. And presently, authorities - in their desperate attempt  to suppress the facts - have resorted to intimidating anyone who dares to speak up The result, however, is a hugely varied number of disappeared persons being referred to by human r...