Extrajudicial killings decline, rights issues still a concern in Bangladesh

The extrajudicial killings from incidents like "gunfights" and "crossfires" involving law enforcement agencies and cases of enforced disappearances have significantly declined in recent years. 

However, international human rights bodies and Western powers continue to express concerns over issues of labour rights, freedom of expression, and the right to hold peaceful protests.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) — a legal aid and rights organisation — reports 17 deaths from "gunfights", "crossfires", and "torture" involving law enforcement agencies this year (until November). This represents a decline from 19 deaths in 2022, 80 in 2021, and approximately 222 in 2020.

Extrajudicial killings have been on a downward trend since the US on 10 December 2021, the Human Rights Day, imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and seven current and former top officials of the elite force, in connection with "serious rights abuses."

The right of citizens to assemble must be respected. Necessary measures shall be taken to create an environment for the proper exercise of the right to peaceful assembly and to avoid public suffering.

Ain o Salish Kendra

However, human rights activists said the overall rights situation remains stagnant, potentially worsening in areas like freedom of expression. They also report targeted abuses against opposition political parties in the lead-up to the upcoming national elections.

Faruq Faisel, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), told The Business Standard, "The space for free expression is shrinking, and there are growing allegations of impediments to the right to peaceful protests."

Today marks Human Rights Day with nations and rights campaigners across the globe uniting to reaffirm their commitment to fundamental freedoms.

In a statement issued yesterday, Ain o Salish Kendra called for the unhindered exercise of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.

"The right of citizens to assemble must be respected. Necessary measures shall be taken to create an environment for the proper exercise of the right to peaceful assembly and to avoid public suffering," said the statement.

During the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November this year, the United States proposed a recommendation to ensure that journalists, human rights defenders, labour rights defenders, and others are not prosecuted or detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, or association. 

Additionally, they advocated for guaranteeing fair trial rights for all individuals.

In the UPR session, the Bangladesh government faced a variety of questions on issues such as the rights of marginalised groups (including women, children, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and sexual minorities), freedom of speech, and the right to organise.

The government has until March 2024, when the Human Rights Council reconvenes for its next session, to submit its final response. 

In a statement issued on 16 November, Julia Bleckner, senior Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, "The only way for the government [of Bangladesh] to show genuine commitment to human rights is for it to act on its obligations under international law, including by addressing serious security force abuses and putting an immediate end to harassment and abuse of political opponents, critics, and human rights defenders."

Meanwhile, on 16 November, the United States rolled out the Presidential Memorandum for advancing workers' rights at home and abroad.

Announcing the memorandum, Secretary of the US Department of State Antony J Blinken said, "We will work to hold accountable those who threaten, who intimidate, who attack union leaders, labour rights defenders, labour organisations — including using things like sanctions, trade penalties, visa restrictions — all the tools in our kit."