The government of Bangladesh has accused the US of using ‘baseless’ information in the human rights report

Bangladesh has criticized the 2023 human rights report of the US State Department recently published on Bangladesh.

The report “not only failed to assess, but undervalued” several key state institutions, including the country’s independent judiciary and certain statutory bodies, which Bangladesh said was detrimental to the morale and effectiveness of such institutions.

On Thursday (April 25), Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sehli Sabreen presented Bangladesh’s statement on the US report to reporters in the capital.

He said, ‘Unfortunately, it is true, many improvements and achievements of the government are not included in the report. On the other hand, isolated and baseless allegations have been made.’

Briefing reporters, he said it would be clear if the report is read thoroughly, it has not been reported individually or given full reference to the alleged incidents. It is full of information based on simplifying assumptions.

The Government of Bangladesh has reiterated its concern over the continued violation of human rights in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces. At the same time, the United States expressed hope that the United States would play a leading role in the international community’s ongoing efforts to stop serious human rights violations, killings of innocent women and children, and crimes against humanity in Palestine.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that in view of the twelfth national elections held last year, the issue of creating instability, violence and anarchy using different pretexts and different interest groups is missing from the report.

Sabreen said the report was mostly based on anecdotal information obtained from local and international non-governmental organizations (including anonymous sources). Many of which are supported by the US government or related organizations.

He said, ‘The report is inherently biased, that much is clear.’

The Bangladesh government, however, appreciated the continued interest of the US administration in the human rights situation around the world.

The spokesperson said, ‘No matter how much we hope, the human rights situation anywhere in the world is not perfect. Although human rights are not restricted to any class, socio-economic constraints often limit the pace of realization of these rights.’

He said that Bangladesh government is trying its best to establish the human rights of its citizens. ‘Indeed, the human rights situation in Bangladesh has improved significantly under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.’

Aware of the areas where further improvement is needed, the current government has continued to invest in meaningful progress in the human rights situation since 2009.

Any astute observer will note, the spokesperson added, that such efforts have resulted in women’s empowerment, gender equality, children’s rights, senior citizens’ rights, workers’ rights, grievance redressal, access to justice, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and more. Many things have improved significantly.

The report also alleged excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies in some cases. However, it failed to highlight the violence and vandalism of the BNP and its political allies. Those incidents disrupted the lives of common people and resulted in damage to public and private properties.

He said, ‘The report also blamed the state’s steps to try and take legal action to protect public life, order and property from such planned campaigns. This is so ridiculous.’

Sabreen also said that it must be noted that Bangladesh’s law and order forces have shown utmost restraint and dealt with any law and order situation with full professionalism.

He said, “28 out of 44 registered parties participated in the twelfth national election based on the government’s sincere support and professionalism in conducting the elections and despite the boycott of BNP and other parties, 42 percent of people exercised their right to vote.”

Sehli Sabreen said that despite the continuous dialogue with the US authorities on human rights and labor rights issues, several allegations or accusations have been repeatedly raised in the report. It is unfortunate.

For example, he said, the Rohingya population continues to be referred to as ‘refugees’ or ‘stateless persons’, undermining their legitimate claim to recognition as citizens or residents of Myanmar.

In another instance, he said, some ethnic minorities continued to be identified as ‘indigenous people’ contrary to the constitutional provisions of the country, which was an attempt to foment unwarranted tension and division.

Again, in some cases, the report omitted or omitted irrefutable evidence or information exchanged with US authorities separately.

For example, information has been shared about the judicial proceedings in the Shaheen Mia and Mohammad Raju murders, which proved that the incidents were within the purview of the law.

He said the judicial process followed in Jasmin Sultana’s case was not properly highlighted in the report, especially the issue of ongoing due process.

“Similarly, several cases have been identified in the report on issues related to labor rights, particularly trade union registration and activities, which have been discussed with relevant US officials on several bilateral or multilateral platforms,” ​​the spokesperson said.

As always, the report misrepresents legal action, he said, adding, ‘Similarly, the report identifies a number of issues related to labor rights issues, particularly trade union registration and activities, which have been discussed with relevant US officials on a number of bilateral or multilateral platforms. .’

He said, as always, this time too, the report shows the legal action taken by the law enforcement authorities in the case of unwanted obstruction or vandalism against factories, institutions, government property or management personnel in the name of workers.

Without detailing the administrative and judicial steps taken to ensure redress and accountability, the report tends to present incidents committed by private individuals or organizations as part of systematic human rights abuses.

In general, the Government of Bangladesh looks forward to engaging with the United Nations human rights process, the United States and other international partners and stakeholders to uphold its commitment to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by all citizens under all circumstances, taking into account the overall report.

Source: UNB