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BHRC Human Rights Report January 2016
Total 148 persons killed in January, 2016

Human Rights Report:

The documentation section of Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC) furnished this human rights survey report on the basis of daily newspapers and information received from its district, sub-district and municipal branches. As per survey it appears that 148 peoples were killed in January, 2016 in all over the country. It proves that the law and order situation is not satisfactory. Bangladesh Human Rights Commissions extremely anxious about this situation. In the month of January, 2016 average 05 people were killed in each day.

The Law enforcing agencies and related Govt. departments should be more responsible so that percentage of killing may be brought down to zero level. To institutionalize the democracy and to build human rights based society the rule of law and order must be established everywhere. Through enforcing rule of law only such violation against human rights can be minimized.

It appears from documentation division of BHRC:

Total 148 Number of people’s killed  in January 2016

Political killing 5, Killing for dowry 11, killing by family violence 16, Killed due to social discrepancy 32, Killed by Law enforcing authority 7, Killed due to doctor negligence 3, Assassination 12, Mysterious death 51, Killed due to BSF 4, Women & chilled  killed due to rape 3, Kill due to abduction 4

Killed by several accidents: Killed by road accident 245, Suicide 22

Besides victims of torture:

Rape 33, Torture for Dowry 3, Sexual Harassment 8, Acid throwing 2

Courageous role of Human Rights workers urged  
 

Human Rights Report:
Bangladesh Human Rights Commission-BHRC Chittagong North District Human Rights Conference-2016 on 16 January 2016 at LGED Audutorium, Chittagong. Mr Niaz Morshed Elite president of BHRC Chittagong North District preside over the Conference. Mr AJM Nasir Uddin Mayor Chittagong City Corporation present the occassion as a Cheif Guest. Humanist Dr. Saiful I Dildar inaugerate the conference. Mr Choudhary Hasan Mahmoud Hasni, Panel Mayor Chittagong City Corporation; Mahbubul Alam, President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce; Karim Sarwar, President of Chittagong Press Club; Humanist Setara Gaffar, Divisional Coordinator Chittagong South Division; Humanist MA Sohel Ahmed Mridha, Divisional Special Representative; Humanist Adv. Abul Hashem, President; Humanist Syed Shirazul Islam Kamu, General Secretary BHRC Chittagong City; Humanist Abul Hasan, Regional Coordinator of BHRC; Humanist Abul Bashar, General Secretary of Chittagong District Present in the Conference as a Special Guest. Hundreds of human rights activist participate the conference.
 

Ban Ki-moon gathers heads of state for political response to water scarcity

Human Rights Report:

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has convened an emergency panel of heads of state to prompt a political response to the world's increasing scarcity of water.
The high level panel on water will find ways to coordinate the often piecemeal political decisions made by the plethora of regulators, governments, companies and individuals who draw from dwindling water reserves. It will also raise a widely-neglected problem to the highest level of political discourse.
"Water is a precious resource, crucial to realising the sustainable development goals, which at their heart aim to eradicate poverty," said Ban, who announced the formation of the panel alongside the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, at a special session of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos this morning.
"The new panel can help motivate the action we need to turn ideas into reality," he said, adding that countries needed to take the lead on tackling the problem.
The panel will meet regularly between now and 2018 and will be chaired by the presidents of Mexico and Mauritius, Enrique Peña Nieto and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim. The two presidents were chosen for their countries' diverse and representative water challenges. Mexico faces large scale water shortages associated with its booming developing economy, and as a small island state, Mauritius is especially vulnerable to climate change and the many water issues that come with a warming world and rising sea levels.
A further eight heads of state from the developed and developing world will be invited by Ban to join the panel. It is intended they will develop an agenda focused on tangible changes. One example given was the sway the heads of state will have over the operations of the World Bank. As shareholders and clients, heads of state are in a unique position to advise the bank on problems with the way water projects are funded.
"Achieving the water global goal would have multiple benefits, including laying the foundations for food and energy security, sustainable urbanisation, and ultimately climate security," said Kim. "My hope is that this panel accelerates action in many countries so that we can make water more accessible to all."
The politics of water can be divisive, and competition for the resource has become a serious threat to stability in water-scarce regions in parts of Africa, the Middle East and south Asia.
"We are already seeing elements of water scarcity coming through - not just because of climate change, but [because of] over-abstraction. We are seeing stress points - social tensions or conflicts over a lack of access to water," said Dominic Waughray, head of public-private partnerships at the World Economic Forum.
According to the UN, 90% of all disasters are water related and by 2050 the world will have just 60% of the water it needs. At last year's announcement of the SDGs, the UN set its sights on delivering "water and sanitation for all" by 2030, but the issue is rarely discussed by those with the power to address it, said Waughray.
 

As Tsai Ing-Wen pledges stronger Taiwan, Beijing watches and waits
 

Human Rights Report:

AFP, Taipei :As new president Tsai Ing-wen pledges a stronger Taiwan that is proud of its identity, tensions with China are already simmering as Beijing watches and waits.Tsai ousted the ruling Kuomintang to take the presidency in a landslide Saturday as voters turned their backs on closer ties with China.The Beijing-friendly KMT also lost control of parliament for the first time.Its disastrous defeat tapped into frustration and fear that the island's sovereignty is being eroded by China after an eight-year rapprochement under outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou."It is a political earthquake," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University."I don't think Beijing will react quickly, but it means more trouble."It would be surprising if (China's President) Xi, who has been assertive with the whole world, is not assertive with Taiwan," said Cabestan, adding China's strategy would depend on the actions of Tsai and Taiwan's main ally the United States.Beijing has already responded to the election rout by warning that it would resolutely oppose any bid by Taiwan to seek independence.Taiwan is a self-ruling democracy since splitting with China in 1949 after a civil war, but has never formally declared independence, and Beijing sees it as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.Tsai has toned down her Democratic Progressive Party's traditionally pro-independence message -- the vast majority of voters want peace with China and she has promised to maintain the "status quo".That message has also calmed nerves in the US, which does not want to see tensions flare.But while Tsai reiterated her commitment to peaceful ties Saturday, she made it clear Taiwan would not be cowed.She told cheering crowds they should never apologise for their identity and warned that Chinese "suppression" would damage ties."Tsai was saying that she plans to promote stability in cross-strait relations but only if Beijing refrains from coercive threats or efforts to tighten the noose on Taiwan diplomatically," said John Ciorciari, political science professor at the University of Michigan.Tsai's comments came against a backdrop of outrage over the treatment of 16-year-old Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu, who was forced to apologise after waving Taiwan's official flag in an Internet broadcast.The flag-waving stoked online anger in China and accusations that she was a pro-independence advocate.Her abject video apology went viral Saturday, prompting Ma and the presidential candidates to leap to her defence. Tsai mentioned Chou in her victory address to media, saying the case highlighted the importance of "strength and unity to those outside our borders"."This incident... invoked old and new hatred among some people towards China," said George Tsai, politics professor at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei."It probably cost the KMT hundreds of thousands of ballots."Chou reportedly had a Chinese endorsement deal pulled and her band was axed from a Chinese TV show, which struck a nerve with the electorate."Taiwan is subject to both as well: threats to its economic wellbeing and sledgehammer rhetoric in Internet forums," said Clayton Dube of the University of Southern California's US-China Institute."Tsai has vowed to work to ensure that Taiwanese can be proud of their home."Voter anger has also been stirred by Taiwan's diminishing position on the global stage in the shadow of China's growing influence.Taiwan is only officially recognised by 22 countries, with even the US having unofficial ties after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979.Tsai said Saturday that Taiwan's international space must be respected, another shot across the bows of Beijing.The strength of her stance reflects a shift in voter mindsets, says Nathan Batto of Taiwan's Academia Sinica research institute."More and more people think of themselves as exclusively Taiwanese," says Batto, rather than Chinese and Taiwanese."That's a fundamental change."While analysts agree there will be no immediate backlash from Beijing to Taiwan's new era of politics, they say China will be monitoring Tsai's every move."Beijing may not take a harsh approach within a short period," said analyst Tsai."But it is not clear to what extent it will put up with her."
 

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In the shadows, under the gaze

Human Rights Report:

Not many Human Rights activists were even aware of the term HR Defenders in the 70s when Bangladeshis faced the first threats to freedom from the authorities and began to resist it. The first organization to bring several streams of activists together was called the Committee for Civil Liberties and Legal Aid aka as Civil Liberties Committee. But no one was strong enough to contest the first post-Liberation government led by no less than the founding leader of Bangladesh Sk.Mujibur Rahman.
Looking back, I don't know if HR work made a difference or not but it was continued in a reasonably hostile environment. It was a period of time when political loyalties mattered and it was not just loyalty to the ruling party or group but many other political groups that existed. Leftist politics stood as an option however discarded it may look from today's bench. But the Left camp was itself split into many factions and groups making it one of the least useful but idealist political construct.
The Left group or party which caught the public imagination along with the JSD, which emerged out of the AL, was the Sharbo Hara Party led by Shiraj Shikder, an underground and shadowy group who spent the first two years after independence attacking police stations and "class enemies" , it called a strike during the heart of the Mujib era, which - considering it was an underground secret party- received public support of sorts though more out of protest against the Mujib government than affinity with the extreme Left party. But the party was soon more busy killing its own comrades due to internal clashes and many of its well known supporters were gunned down, a few by the leader himself.
But Shiraj Shikder himself was arrested in 1974 and the arresting government agencies made a big noise with it. He was shown in custody and later it was said that while trying to escape from a police van in Savar, while being ferried to jail he was shot dead on Jan 2, 1975. Even if this explanation was true, most people didn't believe the authorities.
Anthony Mascarenhas' in his book Bangladesh : A Legacy of Blood has claimed that Sikder was killed by the police on the express order of Sk. Mujib, but that's also a speculation. But it is certain the custodians decided to annihilate him just as he had annihilated so many of his enemies and erstwhile followers and friends. The photo released by the Government shows a forlorn father of Shiraj Shikder looking at the dead body of his son. Many call his killing as the first extra-judicial killing of a political leader in Bangladesh which by now is already a tradition in our everyday life.
By then the troubles had already begun. Its popularity fading, Awami League declared emergency on 28th December 1974 and the 4th amendment was passed in the parliament on 25th January 1975 ending multi-party ruling system. On 24th February 1975, a new party BKSAL of the one-party regime was formed and on August 14 1975, Sk. Muib and most of his family members were killed by a rogue group of military men.
On 3rd November 1975, a counter coup was mounted led by Brig. Shafayet Jameel and it put Gen. Khaled Musharraf in power. On 7th November, a new coup led by Col (retd) Taher ousted the 3rd November group and on 8th morning Gen. Zia took over and interned Taher who had sprung him from jail. Everything from imposition of emergency by Sk. Mujib to imposition of martial by Gen. Zia took 8 months only.
It was an amazing turn of events and suddenly the enemies had changed and everyone opposed to the AL began to rally together to prevent its return. Soon discussions were on to form a political counter party to the AL and many members of the CLC&LA were not left out of this discussion. Essentially, the members were disgruntled members of civil society, who were opposed to AL rule and committed to democracy of the sorts as they understood. Some of the prominent members of CLC were its President Prof. Ahmed Sharif, Chair Bangla Department, Dhaka University, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, its GS, Editor of Holiday Enayetullah Khan, Shariyar Kabir, then a member of the CP led by Badruddin Umar and very anti-AL, Badruddoza Chowdhury, Zafaraullah Chowdhury , Prof. Ahmed Kamal of Dhaka University and a host of other Left leaning and Liberals intellectuals. While not everyone was overtly party political, they belonged to the liberal and the Left stream.
 

The humiliation of our teachers
 Syed Badrul Ahsan
 

The prime minister has been speaking of the teachers of public universities with derision. She has refused to consider their demands with sympathy and has instead asked them to sit for civil service examinations and become secretaries in the government. It was obvious she was unhappy with the point made by the teachers that civil servants and senior military officers appeared to have more importance where status was concerned in the new national pay scale. She has been reminding the teachers of the enhancement in salaries that has been made for them in the pay scale. But she has missed the more important point, which is that status truly matters, for teachers, for everyone else. If the seventh national pay scale could ensure the dignity of teachers, why must the eighth one fail to do the same?
It simply does not do to humiliate teachers. It does not matter where they teach and in what institutions they are employed. When a teacher is insulted, it is obvious that values are being ridden roughshod. An entire nation gets a slap across the face. Think of the brazen way in which Abu Hossain Babla, a lawmaker belonging to the Jatiyo Party, demonstrated his contempt for the law by physically overseeing an assault on the headmaster of a school in Dolairpar. Babla has of course denied any such wrongdoing. Men like him always go into a shameless denial of the truth once they get caught, but the more worrying fact remains that such men somehow get away with their atrocious behaviour. He stood by, hurling abuses at the headmaster even as one of his accomplices held the teacher by the throat. The police, always petrified by the powers that be (Babla's party is a curious mishmash of opposition and government these days), inform us that it was all a misunderstanding and had been resolved.
Not many months ago, an Upazila Nirbahi Officer compelled a schoolteacher to apologise to him over a wrong he himself had committed. He would not stop with an apology. The teacher had to kneel before him and seek his 'forgiveness'. And these are the civil servants we place in the administration to make life easier and better for us. In time, they turn into bureaucrats and then mutate into contemptible autocrats by trying to persuade us into thinking that it is their right to rule and ours to submit to such rule in all the meekness we can muster. They do not serve the country. Their interest is in having their outsized egos massaged constantly.
And let us not forget the horrific manner in which teachers of primary schools, having come to the nation's capital to ask that they be given facilities that are only normal in a modern society, were pounced upon by the police. To be sure, the police could not have acted on their own. They were simply doing a job on the instructions of men more powerful than they. Those teachers, battered and bruised and thoroughly humiliated, were in tears. They went back home, broken in spirit and wondering what they had done to deserve such degrading treatment at the hands of a government they had thought was their own.
There have been other instances of teachers falling prey to circumstances of the most scandalous kind. At Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, elements of the Chhatra League saw hardly anything wrong when they swooped on teachers demanding the resignation of the vice chancellor. It was a bizarre sight, with teachers getting beaten up by students, by the young. The vice chancellor failed to do the honourable thing, despite the hostility towards him on the part of the academic community, of coming to the aid of the teachers. And no one in the corridors of power perceived any need to take the unruly young to task.

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