Dhaka bins UN Spl Rapporteurs’ comments on human rights ‘false, fabricated’
UNB :
Questioning the intention of three UN Special Rapporteurs (SRs), Bangladesh on Tuesday said it seems that the SRs were “influenced by a desire to malign” the government with “false and fabricated” information on the human rights situation of the country.
Responding to the OHCHR’s 14 November press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said their one-sided observations appear as ill-intentioned particularly in the context of the government’s active engagement with them.
“The press release compels the government to raise question about the motive and content of the observations made by three UN Special Rapporteurs (SRs),” MoFA said.
They are Irene Khan, SR on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Clement NyaletsossiVoule, SR on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Mary Lawlor, SR on the situation of human rights defenders.
The timing of the press note containing the remarks of the SRs as well as their possible intentions are intriguing, MoFA said.
They came up with their remarks on the country’s human rights at a time when Bangladesh’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has just been concluded on the previous day – 13 November 2023 and an overwhelming majority of countries appreciated Bangladesh for her key legislative, policy and institutional initiatives taken for advancing the enjoyment of human rights by its people while they made their recommendations, reads Bangladesh’s reply.
The content of the press note of the SRs is largely allegations against the government on the human rights situation of Bangladesh particularly on the current labour unrest, political violence, and other individual cases such as those of Prof. Mohammad Yunus, AdilurRahman Khan and Rozina Islam.
“Bangladesh is a sovereign country where rule of law prevails. Accordingly, the three cases are being dealt with by law courts of the independent judiciary where the Government has no scope of intervention,” MoFA said.
