City Desk :
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday criticized the UN rights body and UN rights experts, noting that their “two-faced” position has been unmasked with their ineffective role amid gross human rights violations in Gaza.
“They have lost their credibility. Pure and simple,” he told reporters when his attention was drawn about the UN rights body and UN rights experts’ criticism about Bangladesh’s human rights situation, reports UNB.
Momen said the human rights bodies do not talk about human rights violations in Gaza.
“Maybe they are sleeping. We understand they are sleeping, or they are very partisan,” he said, highlighting violations of humanitarian laws and human rights, attacks on hospitals, killing of innocent children in Gaza.
“They (rights bodies) don’t talk there. How do you believe them? Their two-faced approach is unmasked. I hope they realize they have made a blunder. Such a big crime they committed,” the foreign minister added.
On Tuesday, UN experts said the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council is an opportunity for Bangladesh not only to reiterate its commitment to human rights in words but to take urgent, concrete action to end attacks on human rights defenders and journalists.
“We urge the Human Rights Council and the international community to press upon Bangladesh the urgency and importance of ensuring a safe, open and conducive environment for free and fair elections,” they said in a joint statement issued from Geneva.
The experts are Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Clément Nyaletsossi Voule; Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Law Minister Anisul Huq, who led the Bangladesh delegation at the UPR meeting, on Monday said a total of 111 countries joined the meeting and 90% of the countries appreciated Bangladesh’s progress on the human rights front.
He said even countries like the United States, the UK and Canada did not criticize Bangladesh in a major way, rather they came up with some constructive recommendations.
