Urge to restore democracy and ensure political neutrality
Without rapid and structural reforms in Bangladesh, the progress achieved by the interim government may be lost. Reforms are needed to restore democracy in Bangladesh. The New York-based human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this in a report. The report titled ‘After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh’ was released yesterday. The report recommends systemic reforms in Bangladesh after the overthrow of the authoritarian government in August 2024.
The report calls for a focus on the separation of powers and ensuring political neutrality in various institutions, including the public administration, police, military, and judiciary. It says that to ensure reforms in Bangladesh, the interim government has been recommended to receive technical assistance, monitoring, and reporting from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN human rights experts. In addition, RAB has recommended its dissolution to prevent misuse for political ends and to ensure that the security forces do not become a tool of repression by the next government.
The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances had recommended the dissolution of RAB in its report on December 14 last year. RAB chief AKM Shahidur Rahman acknowledged the unit’s secret detention centers and said that if the interim government dismantled the unit, RAB would accept it. In this context, HRW has recommended to the United Nations and donor governments that RAB be dismantled only on the condition that officers associated with RAB are provided with human rights training so that they do not engage in the same misdeeds by moving to other units. The report also said that the security forces have been weakened by political influence during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure and it will be difficult to reform them after they leave.
HRW senior researcher Julia Bleckner told reporters in Dhaka on structural reforms that law enforcement agencies must be free from political influence. Their promotions and appointments must also be free from political influence. However, she believes that reforming the RAB is not possible.
The report states that the July 2024 coup was carried out on an unprecedented scale, which is a well-established practice of the security forces being used politically. The UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) described the Bangladesh Police Force as a “state within a state” in 2019. The lack of accountability and impunity for law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh, including the police, is also well-established.
The report’s recommendations for sustainable reforms include imposing a ban on mass arrests and anonymous cases, ensuring that detainees are brought before judges promptly, and imposing a ban on the use of remand. At the same time, it also suggests amending or repealing laws that hinder accountability.
HRW Senior Researcher Julia Bleckner said, “The government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus is committed to issues such as human rights and freedom of expression. But the authorities are acting contrary to this commitment. Charges have been filed against 140 journalists. The press accreditation of 160 journalists has been canceled and the bank accounts of many have been frozen. In addition, the Cyber Security Ordinance has been issued. This law has been used in Bangladesh under different names by the previous government at different times.
The HRW report also criticizes the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Because, in the past, this court has been used for opaque justice. Many of the provisions of the ICT are not international standards, and there are still provisions such as the death penalty. In addition, provisions such as violations of international human rights still exist, such as trials in absentia. As of November, 80 people, including Sheikh Hasina, have been charged with crimes against humanity in this court.
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