The report said, “There have been reports that the government or agents of the government have carried out arbitrary and unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings.”
A report by the US State Department has revealed that there has been no significant change in the human rights situation in Bangladesh in 2023.
The US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor published this report titled ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023’ earlier today. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken officially released the report.
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In December 2021, the United States imposed sanctions against the RAB and several senior officers of the force on charges of human rights violations. In May last year, the country imposed a visa ban on those who disrespected Bangladesh’s democratic electoral process.
Robert S. Gilchrist, a senior official at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said at the briefing that the United States will continue to express concern about basic human rights issues in Bangladesh, including freedom of the press and freedom of association. At the same time, he said that the government should uphold these rights.
According to the report, significant human rights violations in Bangladesh include arbitrary, illegal and extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment by the government, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.
Among the important issues are arbitrary arrest and detention, serious problems with the independence of the judiciary, political prisoners, international persecution of persons residing in other countries, arbitrary and unlawful interference with personal privacy, and the tendency to punish the relatives of a person accused of a crime.
The report said, ‘There have been reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, by the government or agents of the government. In some cases there have been allegations of excessive force against the police. Such complaints are mainly against units built according to professional standards. In some of the steps people have suffered serious physical injuries and in some cases they have died. According to police policy, an internal investigation of all such incidents was required.
However, the government has not released any official tally of the number of people killed by members of the security forces, nor has it taken any transparent initiative to investigate these allegations.
The report also says that human rights organizations are skeptical about the independence and professional standards of the units engaged in monitoring these incidents. In a few cases the government brought charges, but in those cases they received only administrative punishment, even if the charges were proven.
According to the report, the number of extrajudicial killings has decreased compared to the previous year. Eight people were killed in custody and extrajudicially between January and September, including two during shootouts with law enforcement agencies and three who died during or before physical abuse in custody, according to local human rights organization Law and Arbitration Center (ASK).
According to another local human rights organization, 12 extrajudicial killings took place between January and September. Four died in the crossfire of the law enforcement agencies, four were shot dead by members of the law enforcement agencies and another four died of torture while in custody.
The report also said that many people have been disappeared by the government or government authorities. Disappearances and abductions continue and security service providers are responsible, according to human rights organizations and the media. A total of 32 people went missing between January and September, according to a local human rights organization.
There have been serious restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrest and torture, censorship and the filing or threat of criminal prosecution to limit expression.
There are major barriers to free expression on the Internet. There are allegations of interference in peaceful public gatherings and party formation. These complaints include laws restricting the creation, funding and operation of private and civil society organizations, restrictions on freedom of movement, and preventing citizens from changing governments through a peaceful process through free and fair elections.
In addition, severe and unreasonable restrictions on participation in political activities, serious corruption in the government, severe government restrictions on the activities of local and international human rights organizations and the tendency to harass them.
The report further informed that numerous cases of non-accountability of human rights violations have been reported. In most cases, the government has not taken credible initiatives to identify and punish officials or members of the security forces who commit human rights abuses.
