The transition from autocracy to democracy that we are currently undergoing has been described by United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk as "a historic opportunity to ensure governance is anchored in human rights, inclusivity, and rule of law." In a statement on August 16, he added, "The transition ahead presents a historic opportunity to reform and revitalise the country’s institutions, to restore fundamental freedoms and civic space, and to give all in Bangladesh a part in building the future." As we move forward with several reform agendas that can be implemented within a short timeframe, it is essential to have a national conversation on what "governance anchored in human rights" should truly look like. Despite repeated denials by successive governments since independence, numerous UN human rights reports have documented various violations and shortcomings in political, social, and cultural rights. The past 15 years, however, have seen the most ...

It’s ironic that the 75th anniversary of two international instruments - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on Genocide - is being observed when the world is witnessing the killing spree on and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza via Israel’s military operation. This is the worst attack on Palestinians since the one that took place during the creation of the Jewish state, which Palestinians call Nakba (or, catastrophe). The creation of Israel resulted in the expulsion of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and 78 percent of historic Palestine being overtaken. The remaining 22 percent was divided into what are now the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. After 75 years, it’s been feared that now, three times more Palestinians will be driven out from Gaza. The human rights declaration was approved by the UN general assembly on December 10, 1948, a day after the first human rights treaty, the Genocide Convention(the first h...

The distressing image of Ali Azam, president of the Boali union of the BNP in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur district, leading the funeral prayer of his mother in fetters and handcuffs has exposed the emptiness of so-called compassion in our policing and the prison system. It is well known that parole is granted only on the ground of compassion to anyone under custody, irrespective of conviction or even if they are under trial. But Ali Azam’s case has proven that such a compassionate act can also become an egregiously uncompassionate behaviour.  Though this excruciating image has drawn widespread condemnation within the country, the government seems to be unmoved. Neither any action has been taken against those involved in such inhumane treatment to a detainee, nor any investigation has been ordered, despite a rare intervention by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in this regard. The only voice heard was of Information Minister Hasan Mahmud, who said that taking off Azam’...

When Bangladesh needs to prove that it has been listening to the concern about respecting human rights and uphold rule of law, it has done quite the opposite. The reactions coming from the United Nations’ human rights body, Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) and other international rights groups to the deregistration of Odhikar, a leading human rights organisation in Bangladesh, make it clear that no one believes this action is anything other than a punishment for the work it does. The refusal to renew Odhikar’s operating licence follows a letter sent to the OHCHR on May 12, in which the government accused the organisation of ‘disproportionate bias and prejudice against Bangladesh, in particular the ruling party Awami League’ and argued that the UN human rights mechanism should disqualify and shun it as a source of information.  The letter was written as an official response to a joint urgent appeal issued by the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, the Wo...

  On May 31, our diplomat-in-chief, foreign minister A K A Momen sent a message to diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka suggesting what questions they should ask the US ambassador. By the time his message was transmitted to journalists, the US ambassador’s press event, DCAB Talk was over, and the minister’s note ended up as a story itself instead. It couldn’t be ascertained whether the message was a government advisory or a tutorial note as there was no official explanation about it following the publication of the story.  It was a story for all the wrong reasons. Contents of his note suggest that he was unhappy, perhaps angry, too - at the US ambassador’s public comments on the state of democracy, human rights, press freedom and sanctions on RAB. He wrote, “Please, you (newsmen) ask the US envoy why they cannot stop such extra judicial killings in their own country? Secondly, about 100,000 US citizens go missing every year. Even children are deprived of reuniting with their His...

Bangladesh’s elite force, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), which has been subjected to a sanction by the United States, has now been applauded by the same government for its role in tackling terrorism, according to some media reports. The 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism, published by the State Department on 16 December, which gives an overview of global counterterrorism environment, has reportedly praised Rab for its success in cutting down terror acts in Bangladesh. Some of these Bangladeshi media outlets also have quoted at least two noted experts on international relations who said that this praise proved that the sanctions were not a well-thought-out action and could have been the result of intense lobbying by some anti-Bangladeshi elements.They argued that these contradictory acts were indicative of a lack of coordination within the US State Department. If the latter report is correct, then there’s every reason to thank those experts for the correct interpretation of these disc...

The takeover of Newcastle United, an ailing English club, by a consortium led by a Saudi-backed investment fund, has once again stoked a passionate debate on sportswashing. As a result of the approval of the buyout, the struggling club has suddenly become the richest club in the world's richest football league, the English Premier League (EPL), where Newcastle currently ranks 19th out of 20 teams in the league's point table. The change of ownership, though largely welcomed by the fans of Newcastle, has prompted widespread criticism from human rights groups, and raised some critical geopolitical questions. These supporters, who have been demanding the ouster of Mike Ashley, who bought the club in 2007 but has done little to lift it out of mediocrity, have celebrated the takeover and are now daring to dream of trophies after more than a decade. But the deal has enraged human rights defenders due to the appalling records of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. The majority owner o...

In a rare admission of the sufferings of targeted sanctions imposed by the United States, Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong told the media that she had lost all banking services and had to transact solely in cash. Defying the US sanction by any commercial bank, even if that was wholly-owned by Hong Kong nationals, would have meant the end of their global business. The abovementioned sanction which Ms Lam has been subjected to is known as Magnitsky Act. It allows imposition of sanctions against individuals and entities accused of serious human rights violations and corruptions. The outgoing Trump administration has already used this act to slap sanctions including travel ban and freezing assets in US over 500 individuals and companies from across the world. Majority of those in the lists are from within the American continent, Russia and China. The apparent success of this smart sanctions tool seems a preferred choice for Western democracies. Human rights groups like Hu...

The United Kingdom has finally adopted the long-awaited Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime aimed at tackling human rights abusers around the world. With the announcement of targeted measures known as Magnitsky sanctions against individuals and entities accused of serious human rights violations in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar and North Korea on Monday the UK has now joined the United States and Canada in bringing in legislations to penalise rights’ abusers. The term “Magnitsky sanctions” is derived from the name of a Russian auditor, Sergei Magnitsky, who died from custodial torture in a Moscow jail in 2009 after his revelation of a $230 million dollar fraud by Russian tax officials in the UK.   The Magnitsky Act, first enacted by the US Congress in 2012, was hailed by human rights defenders as a much needed “smart tool” to counter autocratic regimes across the world. It   allows Western governments to target perpetrators without punishing the wider people of a coun...