Enforced disappearance in Bangladesh to suppress opposition: UN working group

[bluesky]

Enforced disappearance in Bangladesh to suppress opposition: UN working group

The incidents of violation of human rights soared before the elections in 2014 and 2018 as enforced disappearance is used as a weapon against the political opposition and any criticism, according to information the WGEID got

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Enforced disappearance in Bangladesh to suppress opposition: UN working group
Diplomatic Correspondent
Dhaka
Published: 25 Dec 2021, 18:11

UNHCRFile photo

There are allegations that the law enforcement and intelligence agencies in Bangladesh have been using enforced disappearance as a weapon targeting the political opposition and dissenters, said the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Working Group further said it has got credible information about the allegations of enforced disappearance. These were told in a report prepared after 125th session of WGEID of the UN Human Rights Council. The session was held between 20 and 29 September.

The Working Group updated the report on enforced disappearance on 6 December and sent that to the countries where incidents of enforced disappearance have been reported. The report also mentioned about investigating the allegations of enforced disappearance and various steps, including advices, taken by the Working Group.

https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/crime-and-law/tell-us-about-their-whereabouts-or-graves
Speaking to Prothom Alo, a source from Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission in Geneva on Friday said generally the Working Group’s sessions take place behind closed doors. But they informed the Bangladesh Mission the content of the 6 December report as it mentioned about Bangladesh. Bangladesh mission in Geneva has sent the report to Dhaka to decide the next course of actions.

The relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance organises a human chain in front of National Press Club, Dhaka, on 28 May 2021Prothom Alo

The WGEID has reviewed the previous and newly reported incidents of enforced disappearance in different countries in three sessions this year. Outside of this, they also reviewed a few other allegations as well. The WGEID completed the review based on information acquired from different NGOs, relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance and interview with government and the UN representatives.

The updated WGEID report, published on the website of UNHRC on 6 December, said 13 allegations of enforced disappearance between 22 May and 29 September this year were taken into consideration for taking emergency steps. Among them, one of the incidents was reported in Bangladesh.
'The four of us will never be together again'

The report said as part of the emergency step, it informed the Bangladesh government about the incident of enforced disappearance of Md Mahmud Hasan alias Mufti Maulana Mahmudul Hasan Gunbi by a team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on 6 July.

The banners say 'return the victims of enforced disappearance'Prothom Alo

However, in a press briefing on 16 July, RAB claimed it arrested Mahmudul Hasan Gunbi, spiritual leader of banned militant organisation Ansar Al Islam, in the previous night from Dhaka. It was told that he was an accused in a case filed under anti-terrorism act for planning to carry out an attack at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).

The Working Group has got information from different sources about violation of Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and Bangladesh’s hindering about implementing the declaration.

The report further said the Working Group raised the allegation to the authorities in Bangladesh at different times and wanted to visit Bangladesh but as of now it has not got any response from 12 March 2013, which is more disconcerting. The Working Group said it should be remembered that all of the allegations are involved with different law enforcement agencies. The allegation is that those agencies have time and again used and have been using enforced disappearance as a weapon targeting especially the political opposition and dissenters.

The WGEID said according to information it gained from different sources, law enforcement agencies were involved with the enforced disappearance of around 600 people since 2009. The sources are sure that alongside Bangladesh, RAB that acts under the home ministry are actively involved with the incidents of enforced disappearance.

Relative of one of the victims delivers a speechProthom Alo

According to information the WGEID got, the incidents of violation of human rights soared before the elections in 2014 and 2018 as enforced disappearance is used as a weapon against the political opposition and any criticism.

The sources mentioned how surveillance (physical surveillance; phone tapping; identifying international mobile subscriber identity; using GPS-based social network monitoring system softwares; and tracking social media by tracking WiFi interceptors) is used for enforced disappearance as part of repression against the opposition. The surveillance has increased during the pandemic. Those who criticised the government for its handling the Covid-19 situation were also targeted.

The Working Group was also informed that the relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance were threatened so that no investigation is launched into the incidents. There are allegations that the families of the victims of enforced disappearance had to pay money on false promise of releasing them or their medical treatment.
The sources also informed the UN Working Group that there are allegations the police officials decline to register any allegation of enforced disappearance or register it only when involvement of any law enforcement agencies are removed from the allegations. When the allegations are registered, final reports are submitted apparently without any investigation. Such is done even in cases where the court has directed to investigate the incidents.

A few victims of the enforced disappearance

The role of police’s internal investigation and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and other related organisations were emphasised for finding the victims of enforced disappearance, investigate into the incidents and bringing the accused people under accountability. But there are allegations about the failure of these methods as well to redress the grievances.

 

[Pandora]

Bangladesh had a good economic run but seems like US is about to bring you democracy so buckle up . I must say haseena made this blunder her self by shouting at self righteous bull of democracy called US. First atempting to be part of US squad and then stepping back from negotiations was a big mistake. Sometime it is better to be quite and let the storm pass rather than shouting and bringing disaster to yourself.

 

[El Sidd]

UNHCR should also look into millions of Bangladeshi women trafficked into India.

 

[bluesky]

Bangladesh had a good economic run but seems like US is about to bring you democracy so buckle up . I must say haseena made this blunder her self by shouting at self righteous bull of democracy called US. First atempting to be part of US squad and then stepping back from negotiations was a big mistake. Sometime it is better to be quite and let the storm pass rather than shouting and bringing disaster to yourself.

UN Human Rights group has been asking BD about enforced disappearance for many years without receiving any positive response from BD.

Now it has renewed the process with the explicit approval of the USA. Bd has to answer the questions, reverse its political course with the re-introduction of CTG and fair elections.

 

[Pandora]

UN Human Rights group has been asking BD about enforced disappearance for many years without receiving any positive response from BD.

Now it has renewed the process with the explicit approval of the USA. Bd has to answer the questions, reverse its political course with the re-introduction of CTG and fair elections.

To be honest i kind of liked how Bangladesh was being run. There is no political $hitfest and only focus is developing Bangladesh by hook or crook. I am affraid with democracy coming home all economic gains will reverse and sound of accountability by opposition will make capital fly back to other countries. So far haseena has let big economic sharks roam free hence made big economic gains.

 

[Menace2Society]

It will be good for BD to have a healthy democracy.

 

[Abid123]

So Bangladesh is only a democracy on paper? Much like Pakistan?

 

[bluesky]

To be honest i kind of liked how Bangladesh was being run. There is no political $hitfest and only focus is developing Bangladesh by hook or crook. I am affraid with democracy coming home all economic gains will reverse and sound of accountability by opposition will make capital fly back to other countries. So far haseena has let big economic sharks roam free hence made big economic gains.

The grass on the other side looks greener. BD has only two sectors that earn money for the country. Garments and foreign remittances. Industries have not been built to create jobs. So, more than 10 million people work abroad. Whatever foreign currency reserves ($45 billion) you hear of are because of remittances of money by our expatriates.

We import more than we export.

This country's foreign debt is more than $97 billion not far less than that of Pakistan. BD regularly receives foreign loans and awards important infrastructure projects to foreign companies whereas its own manpower remain unutilized.

This is how the country's bureaucrats and politicians earn bribe money and buy houses in Canada and America. And this is why they show no interest to build industries where people can be employed.

In 2019, BD received loans amounting to $7 billion and at the same time, paid back $1.9 billion of its arrears. This year, it has already paid back $1 billion and the total may be about $2.5 billion. The actual amount will be known within a few months.

 

[Pandora]

The grass on the other side looks greener. BD has only two sectors that earn money for the country. Garments and foreign remittances. Industries have not been built to create jobs. So, more than 10 million people work abroad. Whatever foreign currency reserves ($45 billion) you hear of are because of remittances of money by our expatriates.

We import more than we export.

This country's foreign debt is more than $97 billion not far less than that of Pakistan. BD regularly receives foreign loans and awards important infrastructure projects to foreign companies whereas its own manpower remain unutilized.

This is how the country's bureaucrats and politicians earn bribe money and buy houses in Canada and America. And this is why they show no interest to build industries where people can be employed.

In 2019, BD received loans amounting to $7 billion and at the same time, paid back $1.9 billion of its arrears. This year, it has already paid back $1 billion and the total may be about $2.5 billion. The actual amount will be known within a few months.

True Autocratic regimes always paint a bright side of everything.

 

[bluesky]

True Autocratic regimes always paint a bright side of everything.

Especially, no other agency in the world can beat the BAL propaganda machine. Hitler would have loved to re-learn propaganda from BAL if alive.

This Hasina Bibi is a real son of a bitch. But her days are now numbered. There is no way a general election will be held without first a caretaker government is installed.

 

[Pandora]

Especially, no other agency in the world can beat the BAL propaganda machine. Hitler would have loved to re-learn propaganda from BAL if alive.

This Hasina Bibi is a real son of a bitch. But her days are now numbered. There is no way a general election will be held without first a caretaker government is installed.

It will be bloody transition considering how eager she is to stick to power. Also there is barely any opposition left considering she killed or jailed most if them.

 

[bluesky]

It will be bloody transition considering how eager she is to stick to power. Also there is barely any opposition left considering she killed or jailed most if them.

Outside diplomatic supports are needed for an autocracy to survive. BAL was supported by the Indian lobby in Washington. So, BAL was supported by two big countries.

But the situation has changed drastically with the sanction on the RAB, on some RAB officials, on the present IGP, and on the former Chief of Army Staff. This was followed by America asking for the accounting of the money that it donated to the BD military. America may be suspecting that with the connivance of the GoB, much of this money has been looted by the politicians and bureaucrats.

Now, this thread is all about UNHCR asking about the enforced disappearances of many opposition party activists/ leaders.

The US govt is tigheting screws around BAL govt neck and this will force BAL to organize an election acceptable to all in and out of the country. It means BAL can no more steal votes in a massive way as it has done in the last few elections.

Note that no one will accept an election unless it is held under a neutral caretaker government.

This is how BAL will be ousted from power. I personally believe it will be the end of BAL politics for the next few decades.

 

[SaadH]

The grass on the other side looks greener. BD has only two sectors that earn money for the country. Garments and foreign remittances. Industries have not been built to create jobs. So, more than 10 million people work abroad. Whatever foreign currency reserves ($45 billion) you hear of are because of remittances of money by our expatriates.

We import more than we export.

This country's foreign debt is more than $97 billion not far less than that of Pakistan. BD regularly receives foreign loans and awards important infrastructure projects to foreign companies whereas its own manpower remain unutilized.

This is how the country's bureaucrats and politicians earn bribe money and buy houses in Canada and America. And this is why they show no interest to build industries where people can be employed.

In 2019, BD received loans amounting to $7 billion and at the same time, paid back $1.9 billion of its arrears. This year, it has already paid back $1 billion and the total may be about $2.5 billion. The actual amount will be known within a few months.

How come Pakistan with 127bn debt is paying back 11bn a year, whilst BD is only paying around 2b wit 97bn debt?

 

[bluesky]

How come Pakistan with 127bn debt is paying back 11bn a year, whilst BD is only paying around 2b wit 97bn debt?

You have a good question. I would like you to note that all the debts in Pakistan have matured, but not all debts have yet matured in Bangladesh.

A time is coming within a few years when newly acquired debts will be matured and will overlap with the older ones. This is when BD will have to pay back about $10 billion (assumed) of its debt with interest considering that its borrowing from foreign sources is already $97 billion.

Now, please note what happens for such a large repayment with the interest. In 2020, BD borrowed $7 billion and paid back $1.9 billion. Now, when all the debts mature, BD will be borrowing $7 billion and will be paying back $10 billion (assumed).

So, this is the starting point of BD's economic demise. BD is following the same easy but wrong method that has failed Pakistan and SL.

There is no other alternative than to do everything by a country's own people, and a country's economy can only be built on massive industrialization. Both Pakistan and SL missed the opportunity and went after easy money to build showcase civil engineering massive projects. BD is just following the bad examples of these two countries.

BD is certainly no economic model. Models are Japan, south Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore, but not even Malaysia. Malays have the similar work/ economic philosophy like BD and Pakistan.

 

[bluesky]

Will the UN sanction Bangladesh from participating in the UN Missions by its troops? There is a possibility unless the GoB answers the UNHCR queries. Watch the video analysis below: