Amnesty issues charter ahead of election
Staff Reporter :
Issuing a 10-point human rights charter ahead of the election, Amnesty International has urged all political parties contesting the upcoming election in Bangladesh to ensure that the protection and promotion of human rights as a core part of their plans for the country.
Amnesty International has also highlighted Bangladesh’s human rights obligations in accordance with the rights guaranteed by the country’s commitment to international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR), as well as by the Constitution of Bangladesh.
The 10-point charter includes – respect and protect freedom of expression and media freedom, protect the protest, sustainable solutions to the Rohingya crisis, end impunity for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions, protect women’s rights, protect rights of religious minorities and indigenous people, abolish death penalty, inclusive, sustainable responses to climate crisis, and uphold corporate accountability and labour rights.
Under each point, the Amnesty has given its recommendations to take steps to protect the rights.
Regarding freedom of expression, it said that the freedom of expression in Bangladesh has seen a rapid deterioration with the introduction of laws such as the Cyber Security Act.
Amnesty has called upon the government to immediately release and drop all charges against all those charged under Cyber Security Act, Digital Security Act, and ICT Act solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
It has also recommended to amend the Cyber Security Act in accordance with international human rights law and standards. Remove sections 21, 25 and 28 of the CSA which criminalize legitimate expression of opinions or thoughts and have been used to stifle peaceful dissent under the now repealed DSA.
Regarding the right to protest, it said that Amnesty International verified evidence of unlawful use of force by the law enforcement authorities at a mass protest held on July 29 last year.
It has recommended ending the unnecessary and excessive use of force when responding to public demonstrations.
“Ensure that all arrests are carried out in line with due process safeguards and in accordance with international human rights law and standards, including but not limited to the right to a free and fair trial, the right to be informed of the reason for arrest and the place of detention, and the right to be brought promptly before a judge, and ensure access to legal counsel and family,” it said.
On the Rohingya issue, it has recommended protecting the rights of refugees as per international human rights law and investigating allegations of abuses by security forces and hold those responsible to account.
Regarding the enforced disappearances, Amnesty said, “Bangladesh has a long, dark history of enforced disappearances, and it has become an institutional tool of repression in the country.”
It has recommended ratifying the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance without reservations and incorporating it into the domestic legal system criminalizing enforced disappearances.
About the labour rights, Amnesty said that workers in Bangladesh face multiple barriers in their ability to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and collective bargaining.
It has recommended ending violent repression of workers’ protests and conducting impartial investigations into the deaths of unionists and other protesters and hold perpetrators accountable.
It has further recommended ensuring that workers can exercise their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining by being able to form and join trade unions at the factory level, engage in genuine social dialogue with government authorities and factory owners, and enjoy the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to strike.
