Speakers at a discussion meeting have pointed out that the countrymen are not being provided with the minimum security they are entitled to as per the law.
They made the observation while speaking at a discussion meeting on Review of Bangladesh at the UN Committee Against Torture organized by the Committee for Protection of Fundamental Rights at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.
“Considering the current situation of the country, we are not getting our minimum security as per the law. We are not getting solutions to issues through discussions in the country. However, these issues are now being discussed abroad,” eminent jurist Dr Shahdeen Malik told the discussion.
He also pointed out that laws formulated hundred years ago speak of providing minimum security to an individual, however, these laws are yet to be implemented.
“It is mentioned in the constitution, but there is no remedy in this regard in the country. This is for the first time the law minister has been held accountable abroad. For now, this is the only hope,” he added.
At the event, committee members said they find it positive that Bangladesh had submitted a report to the UN anti-torture committee for the first time after 20 years.
However, the committee claimed that the report submitted by law minister Anisul Huq at the UN meeting was not a realistic one.
The minister listed a lot of laws, but evaded issues on implementation of the laws, they said.
Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said the custodial tortures have not been stopped despite having laws to stop torture.
“There are many laws to stop torture, but the implementation is zero,” he added.
With the written statement, the committee claimed that there were evident attempt from the government to hide information on many realities including disappearance, and extra judicial killings to the UN committee.
Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain, noted rights defender Nur Khan Liton and women's rights activist Shireen Huq also spoke at the event.
Bangladesh submitted its report before Committee Against Torture (CAT) on July 23 for the first time since its ratification of the UN Convention against Torture in 1998.
CAT is a United Nations body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the UN Convention against Torture in the states that are signatory to it.
The committee reviewed the report on July 30 and 31 and will put forward suggestions and make recommendations on the human rights issues of concerns. The committee will issue its concluding observations on August 9.
At the 67th session of CAT in Geneva, Switzerland on July 30 and 31, the Bangladesh delegation led by law minister Anisul Huq defended various alleged human rights abuses in the country like extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearances, death and torture in custody, protection of victims and witnesses, reprisal against civil society, taking confessional statements forcibly, independence of judiciary, corruption in judiciary, and impunity of law enforcement officials.