Bangladesh must ensure human rights violations do not recur: Turk

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged the interim government to take steps to ensure that human rights violations and torture do not recur in Bangladesh. The call was made in a press release sent by the UN Human Rights Commission from Geneva on Wednesday (October 15).
Volker Turk was quoted as saying that taking action against those accused of disappearances and torture during the previous government in Bangladesh is an important step towards accountability. This is the first time that formal charges have been filed in an enforced disappearance case. This is a very important moment for the victims and their families.
It said that last week, the country’s International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia filed formal charges of crimes against humanity against the ‘Task Force for Interrogation Cell’ and the ‘Joint Interrogation Cell’ in two cases related to enforced disappearances and torture. The tribunal has issued arrest warrants against mostly former, but also some serving, military officers, including several former directors general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and former officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
The Bangladesh Army announced on Saturday that more than a dozen of its officers have been detained on charges of serious crimes committed under the previous administration. It is of utmost importance for the military to promptly present detainees before appropriate civilian courts for fair and transparent criminal proceedings.
I call for full respect for the highest standards of due process and fair trial guaranteed by international law. “The protection of victims and witnesses must be ensured in these sensitive and important cases,” Turk said.
It added that a UN fact-finding report recommended that those responsible for serious human rights violations during last year’s student-led protests be held accountable in accordance with international standards.
The High Commissioner called for the speedy disposal of the large number of cases, saying that some were filed during the previous administration. It is essential to ensure due process and justice in each case and to release those arbitrarily detained.
The press release said that among the victims of enforced disappearances and baseless allegations are supporters of the previous government and journalists. Many of them face criminal charges under strict anti-terrorism laws. Regardless of the seriousness of the allegations, the death penalty should not be carried out in any ongoing case.
“In addition to ensuring individual accountability, the best way forward for Bangladesh is through an integrated process of truth-telling, reparations, healing and justice. We must ensure that serious human rights violations and such abuses do not happen again,” Turk said. “I call on the interim government to address current concerns in accordance with international law.”