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BHRC Human Rights Report October 2015
Total 159 persons killed in

October, 2015

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 186 peoples were killed in October, 2015 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 October, 2015 average 5 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 159 Number of people's killed in October, 2015
Political killing 3, Killing for dowry 8, killing by family violence 27, Killed due to social discrepancy 36, Killed by Law enforcing authority 7, Killed due to doctor negligence 16, Assassination 9, Killed due to abduction 6, Mysterious death 37, Killed due to BSF 4, Women & chilled killed due to rape 4, journalist Killed 1, Killed due to Acid Throwing 1.
Killed by several accidents: Killed by road accident 212, Suicide 27
Besides victims of torture: Rape 34, Torture for Dowry 5, Sexual Harassment 6.
 

BHRC England Branch

meeting in London
 

Bangladesh Human Rights Commission-BHRC England Branch will organize a Human Rights meeting on 1 December 2015 in London, UK. BHRC Secretary General Dr. Saiful I. Dildar attend the meeting. Mohammad Shahidur Rahman President of BHRC England Branch preside over the meeting.

 

IHRC Meeting in New York

International Human Rights Commission-IHRC New York Chapter will organize a Human Rights meeting on 27 November 2015 in Jackson Heights, New York USA. IHRC International Secretary General Dr. Saiful I. Dildar attend the meeting. Mr. Sharif Ahmed Laskar Convener of IHRC New York Chapter preside over the meeting.
 

IHRC Meeting
in London

International Human Rights Commission-IHRC UK Chapter will organize a Human Rights coordinating meeting on 4 December 2015 in London, UK. IHRC International Secretary General Dr. Saiful I. Dildar attend the meeting. President of IHRC UK Chapter Dr. Shahed U.I. Chowdhury preside over the meeting.
 

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A Regional Conference of Human Rights held on preventing of human trafficking, drug smuggling and solving the problem of Ruhingas in Teknaf

Human Rights Report:

Human Rights Chittagong Regional Conference has held on morning 10th October 2015 at Teknaf Green Garden Auditorium which organised by BHRC Headquarter & Teknaf Regional Branch. This conference has protested on rapidly human trafficking and drug smuggling and entering of Ruhingas in Bangladesh illegally through coastal area of South Region specially Cox's Bazar by across Teknaf.
More than thousands of human rights activists has participated from Chittagong and from differents regions of country. Khorshed Ara Haque, Member of Parliament of Bangladesh National Parliament presented in conference as a Chief Guest. Dr. Saiful I. Dildar Secretary General of Bangladesh Human Rights Commission inaugurated this conference. Monowara Begum Munni, President of Teknaf Regional Branch presided over this conference and also presented Setara Gaffar, Coordinator of Chittagong South Division; MA Sohel Ahmed Mridha, Special Representative of Chittagong Division; Abu Hasnat Chowdhury, Regional Coordinator of Chittagong Region; Mohammad Jubaer, President of Chittagong South District; Md. Neaz Morshed Elit, President and Abul Bashar General Secretary of Chittagong North District Branch, Rafiq Mahmud, General Secretary of Cox's Bazar District Branch as a special guest.
Many police and RAB members will deployed for the purpose of tight security arrangement urgently in Teknaf through all granted proposal in this conference and represented a proposal for setting of Army Camp.
The conference also deeply discussed to set up Army Camp for preventing inhumanity human trafficking, illegal drug dealing through Neighbour countries and also discussed the proposal of strictly prohibitory injunction for the purpose of stopping Ruhingas to move outside of particular area declared by UNHCR. BHRC has decided the matter of against human trafficking, drug smuggling and solving problem of Ruhingas by excessive publicity in Teknaf and Cox's Bazar.
 

BD`s march forward can`t be stopped with bomb attacks: PM

 

Human Rights Report:
Noting that the recent bomb attack on a Tajia procession was aimed at tarnishing Bangladesh's image, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asserted the country's march forward cannot be stopped with such bombings.The Prime Minister made the statement while addressing the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Dhaka Wasa Padma (Jashaldia) water treatment plant construction (phase-1) project at a city hotel."Bangladesh is moving ahead and it'll do so. Let me say one thing, the march forward of Bangladesh can't be stopped by hurling two bombs or five eggs...those who're thinking this are making a mistake," she said.At least one person was killed and about hundred others were injured in bomb explosions in front of Huseni Dalan in old Dhaka on the early hours of October 24. The blasts took place when members of the Shia community were gathering there to bring out their traditional Tajia procession, marking holy Ashura.Sheikh Hasina said the motive behind this bomb attack was to taint Bangladesh's image at a time when the country has become a role model of development in the world.About the prevailing religious harmony in Bangladesh, she said the people of the country believe in the slogan 'religion is personal, festival for everyone'."You saw the one who was killed and those got injured in this bomb blasts are Sunni, no one of them is of the Shia community," Hasina said. The Prime Minister said all programmes and festivals in Bangladesh are observed by the people of all religions. "Then what does it mean by this attack? Why did this happen? Who did commit it, anyway? It's gradually becoming clear to people who have actually committed it." she said.About terrorism, militancy and things like that, the Prime Minister said: "I want to spell it out clearly that there'll be no room for militancy and terrorism in Bangladesh."She sought the all-out cooperation of all in resisting the evil nexus. Reiterating her note of warning, Hasina said her government never tolerated injustice and will never do it either. "This is our core principles," she said. Indicating BNP-Jamaat alliance alleged involvement in the recent killing of two foreigners, Hasina said they had also tried to oust this government by burning people to death in the name of hartal and blockade, but failed. Hasina said this is unfortunate that this quarter does not like to see the people pass their days in quite peace and the march forward of this country.Local Government and Cooperatives Engineer Mosharraf Hossain presided over the function, while Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa Taksem A Khan gave welcome address. Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang, chairman and president of China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd, constructing company of project, Luo Yan, and secretary of Local Government Division Abdul Malek also attended the function.Later, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the project through a videoconferencing.

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Nepal gets first woman President

Human Rights Report:

Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. A Communist leader who has long campaigned for women's rights was elected on Wednesday as Nepal's first female President.Bidhya Devi Bhandari of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist received 327 votes against her opponent's 214 in the Parliament on Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Onsari Gharti announced.The President is the ceremonial head in Nepal while the Prime Minister is the nation's leader.Ms. Bhandari (54) is the deputy leader of the party led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who was elected earlier this month and leads a coalition government. The new Constitution adopted last month required Nepal to name a new President. Ms. Bhandari is an active campaigner for women's rights in Nepal and was among the politicians who campaigned for ensuring women's rights in the new Constitution. The document says one-third of the members in parliament have to be women and either the President or Vice-President must be a woman.
The new President has been a leading political figure since her husband Madan Bhandari, who was then leader of the party, was killed in a still unsolved car accident in 1993.She also led many demonstrations against the then King Gyanendra in 2006 that finally ended his authoritarian rule and restored democracy.Ms. Bhandari is Nepal's second President since the Himalayan nation was turned into a republic after abolishing the centuries-old monarchy. The first President, Ram Baran Yadav, was elected in 2008 and was supposed to be in office for two years. But preparing and adopting the Constitution took seven years because of differences between political parties.
 

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Dengue outbreak highest in 9 years
 

Tarik Hasan Shahriar

The number of dengue cases has escalated in the capital over the past few weeks as intermittent rainfall and high temperature caused a rise to breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, the carrier of this tropical fever.
Around 1,941 dengue cases were reported in the last seven months, which is almost four times higher than last year and the highest in nine years, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DG-Health).
Eight people have died of dengue at different hospitals this year while only one death was reported due to this mosquito-borne viral infection in 2014.
Dengue virus is transmitted to humans from the bites of infected mosquitoes. Aedes mosquito proliferates during this wet season on stagnant water or spoilt foods.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), about 2.5 billion people around the globe are at risk from four kinds of dengue viruses. These are Den-1, Den-2, Den-3 & Den-4.
Noted medicine consultant Prof Dr ABMM Abdullah said, "Dengue cases may continue to rise throughout the current month. The situation likely to improve once the temperature starts falling in November."
"High temperature and humidity help Aedes aegypti, the key host of dengue viruses, breed eggs on stored water and survive, increasing the risks of infections," Dr Abdullah added.
He also said people often get confused whether it is dengue or just a viral fever. "But whatever it is, we can easily handle tropical fevers by taking certain measures."
"However, classical or ordinary dengue fever is very difficult to distinguish from a seasonal fever. Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a serious infection and usually occurs during the second-time exposure to dengue virus. People who have suffered from normal dengue once are more prone to hemorrhagic fever," he said.
"In our country, rainy season, scattered collection of water in artificial containers like- bottles, tires, tire casing, flower vases, uncovered water-storage, empty receptacles in gardens and courtyards are the potential risk factors for dengue because those are the perfect breeding spots for Aedes," he said.
Former Pro-vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University ( BSMMU) Dr Rashid E Mahbub told daily sun that dengue is also known as breakbone Fever. If the infection is treated in time, the mortality rate is less then 15 percent.
The fever occurs within eight days of the mosquito bite.
"There are two types of dengue fever- Classical Dengue Fever and Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever. Classical dengue fever is a normal viral fever, but Hemorrhagic dengue fever may turn fatal and cause death," he said.
People infected with normal dengue will feel high temperature, intense headache, muscle and joint pain, bitter taste, insomnia and anorexia.
"If treated properly, such fever goes away within seven days," he also said.
"In case of hemorrhagic dengue, patients experience high fever, bleeding from nose, gums, ears, skin. Losses of blood may cause fatal seizure of shock in patients," Dr Mahbud added.
Health Minister Mohammad Nasim in a recent programme said they have directed the health officials, city corporations, NGOs and citizen organisations to mobilise people and raise awareness about dengue prevention.

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Climate fund commitments turn out to be farce 

Rafiqul Islam

Human Rights Report:

Rich nations every year make commitments to provide necessary funds to poor countries for their climate adaptation, but they ultimately do little making their commitments a farce, allege experts.
"The rich countries pledge to provide fund for adaptation programmes in poor countries. But, they don't live up to their promises…they make farce with climate vulnerable countries, giving a poor amount of money against their commitments," executive director of the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzaman told UNB.
Bangladesh has been able to release only US$ 1.07 billion to carry out adaptation programmes in the last six years (2010-August 2015) as it received only US$ 75 million during the period, according to Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF). Data released by the United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) in 2014 show that at least US$ 150 billion will require a year globally to carry out adaptation programmes to cope with climate change impacts.
But, the industrialised countries released only US$ 2.6 billion as of September 2015 against their promise of US$ 30 billion, which is only 7.5 percent of their total commitment, said a TIB position paper.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said Bangladesh along with other climate vulnerable countries should raise voice in the upcoming Paris climate conference and put pressure on rich counties to make more allocations to accelerate adaptation programmes in countries like Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, one of the world's most disaster-prone climate vulnerable countries, has faced dozens of major disasters over its short history as a nation. Current research and studies suggest that flood, tropical cyclones, storm surge and drought are likely to be more frequent and severer in the years to come. "Definitely, we should raise our voice in the Paris Climate summit to mount pressure on the rich nations to provide more funds for adaptation in our country as our coastal areas are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise," said Malik Fida A Khan, director of Climate Change Division at Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS).
He said the rich nations should not only provide fund to Bangladesh but also transfer technologies to make the country's agriculture and water infrastructures climate smart. Bangladesh needs to invest US$ 40 billion from 2015 to 2030 to implement identified adaptation measures to address the adverse impacts of climate change, according to the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) of the government, submitted to the UNFCCC on September 2015. The Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI-2011) calculated the vulnerability of 170 countries to the impacts of climate change over the next 30 years, which reveals that Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country to climate change.
Saying climate change will drastically hamper Bangladesh's economic growth, a recent report of the Asian Development Bank estimated that Bangladesh may experience 2 percent of annual GDP loss by 2050 because of climate change.

 

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 Crashing into growth
AKM Moinuddin  

Road users around the world are unequally protected. The risk of dying in a road traffic crash still depends, in great part, on where people live and how they move around. A big gap still separates high-income countries from low- and middle- income ones where 90% of road traffic deaths occur in spite of having just 54% of the world's vehicles. Europe, in particular the region's wealthier countries, has the lowest death rates per capita; Africa the highest.
Some 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes, according to the Global status report on road safety 2015 of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In Bangladesh, around 21,316 people died in road accidents across Bangladesh in just a year - 2012. The data on Bangladesh showed that pedestrians contributed the highest 32 percent of the total casualty in 2012.
Meanwhile, other road accident victims accounted for 28pc passengers of four-wheeled cars and light vehicles, 13 percent drivers of four-wheeled cars and light vehicles, 8pc of drivers or passengers of buses, 6 percent of drivers or passengers of heavy trucks and 2 percent of cyclists and 11 percent of riders of motorised two or three-wheelers, the report showed in its Bangladesh part.
The country also suffered loss of an estimated 1.6 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to road traffic crashes. WHO also estimated that 13.6 people are killed in road accidents out of every one lakh population in Bangladesh.
But more countries are taking action to make roads safer. In the last three years, 17 countries have aligned at least one of their laws with best practice on seat-belts, drink-driving, speed, motorcycle helmet or child restraints. "Road traffic fatalities take an unacceptable toll, particularly on poor people in poor countries," says WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan.
However, the number of road traffic deaths is stabilising even though the number of motor vehicles worldwide has increased rapidly, as has the global population. In the last three years, 79 countries have seen a decrease in the absolute number of fatalities while 68 countries have seen an increase.
Countries that have had the most success in reducing the number of road traffic deaths have achieved this by improving legislation, enforcement, and making roads and vehicles safer, according to a news item released from Geneva.
"We're moving in the right direction," adds Dr Chan. "The report shows that road safety strategies are saving lives. But it also tells us that the pace of change is too slow."
The WHO report highlights that road users around the world are unequally protected. The risk of dying in a road traffic crash still depends, in great part, on where people live and how they move around. A big gap still separates high-income countries from low- and middle- income ones where 90 percent of road traffic deaths occur in spite of having just 54 percent of the world's vehicles.
But more countries are taking action to make roads safer. In the last three years, 17 countries have aligned at least one of their laws with best practice on seat-belts, drink-driving, speed, motorcycle helmet or child restraints.
The report, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reveals that globally 105 countries have good seat-belt laws that apply to all occupants; 47 countries have good speed laws defining a national urban maximum speed limit of 50 Km/h and empowering local authorities to further reduce speed limits; 34 countries have a good drink-driving law with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of less than or equal to 0.05 g/dl as well as lower limits of less than or equal to 0.02 g/dl for young and novice drivers.
Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable, making up 23 percent of all road traffic deaths. In many regions, this problem is increasing; in the region of the Americas, for example, the proportion of motorcycle deaths out of all road traffic fatalities rose from 15 percent to 20 percent between 2010 and 2013. In the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, a third of all road traffic deaths are among motorcyclists.
Pedestrians and cyclists are also among the groups with the least protection, making up 22 percent and 4 percent of global deaths respectively. The lack of policies aimed at vulnerable road users is killing people and harming our cities. If we make walking and cycling safer there will be fewer deaths, more physical activity, better air quality, and more pleasant cities. The report also found that some vehicles sold in 80 percent of all countries worldwide fail to meet basic safety standards, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where nearly 50 percent of the 67 million new passenger cars were produced in 2014. The report is the third in its series and is the official monitoring tool of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The publication of the report follows the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which includes an ambitious road safety target and precedes the 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety that will be held in Brasilia, Brazil, 18-19 November 2015..

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Transit & BBIN: Road to prosperity
 

Human Rights Report:

It was never really part of the original set of expectation associated with the BJP's barnstorming victory in India's historic 2014 elections. Narendra Modi, the pariah-turned -beacon of hope for the Indian corporate sector, the darling of the diaspora, and principal architect of the so-called 'Gujarat model' of development, soon unveiled a foreign policy that prioritised the region -traditionally a weak spot for the Indian state, given the volatile (at best) relations it has shared with almost every state that emerged in its neighbourhood once the European colonisers, or Britain really, had wrapped up their cruel adventure on these shores.
Such intentions on Delhi's part are not new of course, and almost always met with scepticism in all the other capitals. For one thing, every seasoned diplomat worth his or her salt knows India's outright enmity with Pakistan, the other important regional power, cannot simply be wished away. Already, over the course of the last 7 decades, starting from Partition in 1947, one fears far too much blood has already been by the people of the two countries, for any lasting solution to have a chance in the dispute over Kashmir. It must be infinitely more difficult for neighbours who have never - or not before that maddening legacy of colonialism, the advent of the nation-state in these parts- known anything but war to make peace. The mutual brutality and skullduggery are better known, better understood. And they serve to feed a particularly deep-rooted form of hatred and distrust, that must be almost impossible to displace, even with a rising tide of good intentions. Which is why you have that damning statistic from the World Bank, that despite being home to more than a fifth of humanity, with a high proportion of young people annually augmenting each country's workforce, South Asia is the least economically-integrated region in the world. Consider this: intra-regional trade between the countries of Saarc, the ragtag regional grouping that counts 8 members, amounts to just 5 percent of the countries trade.'
We've all seen Saarc, almost stagnant since inception in the 1980s, flutter and fumble on the back of its members' half-hearted commitments, more times than we may care to mention. Now it looks ready to fall apart. And so it has hardly surprised anyone when some of these countries have gone on to play truant, or even look to actively form new alliances that can work better towards meeting the aspirations of their peoples. Asean to the east looks a particularly attractive prospect for Bangladesh, nevermind that it may not fit the bill as set down in the organisation's charter. Smaller, 'sub-regional' groupings like Bimstec, favoured by India for its remote northeastern states, has found considerable traction in the vacuum of by Saarc's inaction.
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Political make-up of local polls

Mahfuzur Rahman

Though there are various apprehensions about the move, the Cabinet's clearance to amend certain laws to hold local government elections on party lines has finally given the local government bodies a place in political landscape. Even though the local polls have so far been an apolitical affair theoretically, political parties always influenced the polls violating the existing electoral rules. The recent elections to a number of city corporations are the glaring examples how the political parties put their candidates and campaigned for them defying laws. If the ground reality is that then what is the harm to give it a formal shape?
There is no doubt that strengthened local government bodies and spontaneous elections to those can play a greater role in institutionalising Bangladesh democratic system. And this is also an excellent opportunity for politicians to accelerate the decentralisation process of the administration though things are happening in a supersonic speed leaving rooms for critics to lash out at the government as the municipal elections across the country are expected to be held in December next.
A senior Election Commission official on October 13 gave a broad hit that the municipal elections would be held on party lines in the third week of December. According to him, the Commission may also require to change some relevant rules and the code of conduct before arranging the municipal polls. Just a day before, the Cabinet in its meeting approved drafts seeking amendments to four laws and one ordinance, aiming to hold local government polls on partisan basis or through party symbol or independently. The meeting decided to frame the draft of the 'Local Government (Municipality) (amendment), Bill, 2015' as an ordinance since parliament is not in session now.
The ground for bringing the change was created months back as the High Court on April 21 asked the Election Commission and government to explain in two weeks why they would not be ordered to allocate or use electoral symbols and identities of political parties in local government elections. Issuing a rule, the court also ordered them to show cause as to why relevant electoral rules restricting the allocation and use should not be declared unconstitutional.
Since its return to power in 2009, Awami League has been on a campaign that the local government elections should be held under party banners and the party's highest policymaking body took a resolution in February 2015 that political parties should be allowed to contest local polls formally and openly. The ruling party insists that things need to be formalised to gear up development activities and remove controversies. Awami League leaders say the new system will also likely to ease the fund allocation systems for local government institutions as people want the local body polls to be held with the participation of political party candidates.
There are now four types of local government institutions with 'union parishad', a council of cluster of villages, being at the grassroots level, while the remaining three are 'upazila' or sub-district council, district council and municipalities in urban areas while the major cities have city corporations headed by mayors. But elections to all these institutions are held on non-party basis theoritically though major parties put their candidates turning the polls as contests among parties. On April 1 this year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Parliament that local government polls should be held like the general election on party lines to ensure transparency and accountability.
Local government experts like Dr. Tofail Ahmed and former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda have, meanwhile, appreciated the government's plan to give the local body elections a political shape. They are of the opinion that it will help arrange the polls in a fair manner enabling elected representatives to play a stronger role. According to them, the 'distance' between the local government representatives and local members of parliament or the central government will reduce when it comes to implementation of development programmes.
But, BNP leaders have found the initiative politically motivated as they think it goes against the expectations of people and the country's tradition. They also argue that once the local polls are given the political get-up, the scope to contest elections will shrink for many qualified people who do not want to involve in politics but want to serve people. Going one step further, BNP senior leader Hannan Shah has accused the government of trying to establish a one-party rule in the country by holding local polls under party banners.
The BNP's concern is understandable. The party is unlikely to be able to put candidates and handle the situation if the municipal elections are held under party banners in three months' time as planned by the Election Commission, which is also blamed for its failure to play its due role when it gets sensitive issues in hand. This is true that the Election Commission can play a much stronger role in putting disordered things back into order as we see in democratic countries like India.
The Indian Election Commission is truly powerful as it is not answerable to the President and the government. It is not possible for the ruling party or the government there to remove the Chief Election Commissioner even if they do not like what he or she does regarding election issues.

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