The US State Department, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, mentions that the most significant human rights violations in Bangladesh were “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary or unlawful detentions, and forced disappearances by government security forces.”
The State Department identifies the killings of marginalised group members by groups espousing extremist views; early and forced marriage; gender-based violence, especially against women and children; and poor working conditions and labour rights abuses as the major human rights violations in Bangladesh.
The department acknowledges Bangladesh to be “a secular, pluralistic, parliamentary democracy.” However, it mentions that most international observers characterise the January 2014 parliamentary elections as “controversial and falling short of international standards.”
It also says: “Civilian authorities maintain effective control over the security forces.”
The report also mentions that “extremist organisations claiming affiliation with Da’esh and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) increased their activities in the country by executing high-profile attacks on religious minorities, academics, foreigners, human rights activists and LGBTI community members.”
Claiming that the Bangladeshi government has used counter-terrorism efforts to justify restrictions of civil and political rights, the US State Department says that judicial capacity and independence is “weak” in the country.
It also comments that the Bangladeshi authority has infringed on citizens’ “privacy rights” and lists other human rights violations: torture and abuse by security forces; arbitrary arrests; lengthy pretrial detentions; politically motivated violence; official corruption; and restrictions on online speech and the press.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
