Human Rights Watch has expressed its concerns over the recent spate of pre-poll violence in Bangladesh.
A statement issued Wednesday, quoting its Asia Director Brad Adams, said that leaders of Awami League and BNP should take emergency measures to avoid more deaths and injuries.“Pre-election violence has already cost too many lives in Bangladesh. Only responsible leadership can bring an end to this senseless loss of life,” said Adams.
In the statement, the US-based organisation said the violence perpetrated by the opposition supporters as well as excesses committed by law enforcers should come to an end.
Holding opposition protestors responsible for most of the recent deaths and injuries, Adams said in the statement that Opposition leaders have a responsibility to keep their protests peaceful.
“When their members commit crimes, political leaders need to cooperate with the authorities to ensure those responsible are promptly apprehended,” said the HRW Asia Director.
The HRW also questioned the role of the security forces. It said that law enforcing agencies need to overcome the ‘long history’ of using unlawful force and respond in a ‘professional and non-partisan’ way.
“The ruling Awami League should remember the mistreatment suffered by its supporters when they were in the opposition and ensure that law enforcement agencies act within the law,” Adamds said.
The human rights watchdog expressed dismay over the arson attack on a bus in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Nov 28, which so far left 3 people dead and more than 15 others severely suffering burn injuries. It said the Awami League and BNP took no time to resort to a blame game.
Citing Tuesday’s (Dec 4) train derailment, in which 4 persons died, the statement said, opposition parties have yet to comment about, let alone condemn, the attack on the train.
The US-based rights group also took a dig at the way law enforcers handling the protests.
It said that the spokespersons of the security forces confirmed firing shots at opposition supporters in many incidents, but had not made public the numbers or the identities of the dead or the injured.
The HR watchdog emphasised the need to investigate incidents where security forces might have committed excesses and prosecute the erring personnel.
In the past, the government has taken no action even in cases of well-documented unlawful killings by the security forces during protests, the statement claims.
HRW also asked the government to order security forces to follow the ‘UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials’. – via bdnews24.com
