Friday, May 03, 2024
A statement, made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on violent incidents taking place in Bangladesh since BNP-Jamaat’s programme, was not solely based on facts, the country’s civil society observes.
An OHCHR press briefing note issued on October 31 titled “Bangladesh Political Protests” had drawn the attention of the civil society, mentions a statement issued on Thursday.
“We came to know from the statement that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was closely monitoring, with concern, the violent incidents taking place in Bangladesh since BNP-Jamaat’s programme on October 28. It appears to us that some of the observations of the statement are not based on facts and hence should be revisited,” reads the statement signed by 81 dignitaries.
Categorising all the unprecedented violence, including ruthless arson, police killings, burning people alive, and mindless vandalism, as “political protests,” the statement made might explicitly encourage the perpetrators to carry on with their heinous violent activities, it adds.
Although all the miscreants who attacked the residences of the Chief Justice and other judges were identified as BNP activists, the statement does not reflect the actual situation. Even while doing so, it seems that the benefit of the doubt has gone to the perpetrators by saying “Opposition protesters allegedly attacked.”
Moreover, the statement reflects a wrong perception of the ruling party by saying “who are thought to have been ruling party supporters,” the civil society members said.
In regards to the death of 11 people, particularly six opposition party members, claimed in the notes to have died during the violence is misleading. In fact, two garment workers, Russel Hawlader and Emran Hossain died in separate incidents, Jahangir Alam was an Awami League leader and was killed by the BNP people in Lalmonirhat on October 29, another person named Shameem, who died stamped near the BNP’s rally venue on October 28, was not involved in politics as claimed by his father, Yusuf.
Urmee Bhuiyan, the daughter of another deceased Rafique Bhuiyan (73), whom BNP claimed to have been killed by police attacks, told the media that her father was not amid violence and died due to brain haemorrhage after falling from a rickshaw in the city’s Segunbagicha area, it said.
Police constable Amirul Haque Parvez was brutally killed on October 28 near the BNP rally venue at Paltan and a bus helper, Md Nayeem, was burned to death while he was sleeping in the wee hours of October 29 by the ‘opposition protesters.’
The whole nation is shocked at the unprecedented attack on the residences of the Chief Justice and other Supreme Court judges. Despicable attacks injuring around 35 journalists also shocked the nation. Police have already identified the attackers, masked or unmasked, involved in the incident and found their clear connections with the BNP.
The briefing notes mentioned that the police were attacking protesters with rods. This is not based on facts. When the attackers turned extremely violent, police dispersed them using only batons, tear shells, rubber bullets, and sound grenades as per law, it added.
“With regard to the OHCHR’s allegations of indiscriminate raids and arrests, we understand Police showed its utmost patience in maintaining law and order, on October 28”, it said.
“It is our earnest request to further verify facts and figures about the aforementioned issues,” the statement said.
The signatories of the civil society are – Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, economist & environmentalist, Dr Sarwar Ali, freedom fighter, trustee of Freedom War Museum and executive president of Chhayanat, Dr Atiur Rahman, former governor, Bangladesh Bank, Iqbal Mahmood, former chairman, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Molla Waheeduzzaman, former chairman, Privatization Commission, Ramendu Majumdar, actor and stage director, Md Abul Kalam Azad, former principal secretary, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, former principal secretary, Mohammed Nurul Huda, former inspector general (IGP) of Bangladesh Police, secretary and columnist, Dr Khondaker Showkat Hossain, former secretary, Professor Dr Kanak Kanti Barua, former vice chancellor, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dr Hassan Mahmood Khandker, former inspector general of Bangladesh Police and ambassador, Ambassador Md Abdul Hannan, Nasiruddin Yousuff Bacchu, freedom fighter, writer and cultural activist, Mozammel Babu, president, Editors Guild, Mofidul Hoque, trustee, Liberation War Museum, Md Nasir Uddin Ahmed, former secretary, Ambassador Suhrab Hossain, Prof Dr Muhammad Samad, pro-vice chancellor, University of Dhaka, Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Quazi Sazzad Ali Zahir, BP, Dr Benazir Ahmed, former inspector general (IGP) of Bangladesh Police, Tanvir Mokammel, filmmaker, Dr Abdul Mannan Choudhury, former professor, University of Dhaka, Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Kashem Humayun, journalist, Osman Gani, freedom fighter and publisher, Agamee Prakashani, Ambassador Mahbub Uz Zaman, Dr Muhammed Sadique, former secretary and former chairman, Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC), Dr Rubana Huq, vice-chancellor, Asian University for Women (AUW), Ambassador ATM Nazrul Islam, Nasima Begum, ndc, former chairman of Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, journalist, Jesmin Ara Begum, former district judge & former member, National Human Rights Commission, Mazharul Islam, publisher, Annaprakash, Farida Yasmin, president, National Press Club, Shyamal Dutta, general secretary, National Press Club and editor, Daily Vorer Kagoj, Manjurul Islam, CEO , DBC News, Professor Dr Boren Chakraborty, Pijush Bandyopadhay, cultural activist, Ambassador Md Shahidul Islam, Prof Dr Nuzhat Choudhury, Prof Dr Mamun-Al Mahtab, Md Nojibur Rahman, former principal secretary and chairman, Capital Market Stabilization Fund (CMSF), Morshedul Islam, filmmaker, Selina Afroze, PhD, former secretary, Paban Chowdhury, former secretary, Iqbal Habib, architect and others.
