At a recent joint event at the European Parliament hosted by MEP Maximilian Krah and Study Circle London, speakers from various backgrounds came together to debate the question of how to address an ongoing “disinformation campaign against Bangladesh,” which had culminated in the runup to the joint motion for the resolution “Human rights situation in Bangladesh, notably the case of Odhikar” adopted by the European Parliament in September.
The panel consisted of MEP Maximilian Krah, political analyst Chris Blackburn, lawyer and international criminal law specialist Dr Rayhan Rashid, and Syed Mozammel Ali, chairman of Study Circle London, according to a press release.
Blackburn emphasized the importance of objective media to investigate the matter. “Who checks the work of human rights NGOs if not the press?” he asked.
Krah called for attention to the “problematic role” of NGOs. “While ‘NGO’ stands for nongovernmental organizations, nearly all NGOs have a political objective,” he said.
Some, he pointed out, may have an agenda in line with the “disinformation campaign” and therefore reinforce the narrative.
Mozammel Ali gave a brief overview of the current state of Bangladesh in regards to human rights and development. “Nobody has done more for the improvement of countless lives in Bangladesh than the current government,” he stated.
Rayhan Rashid focussed on legal issues surrounding often-stated comments on human rights in Bangladesh. “When dealing with such cases, scrutiny from international and national observers is required in order to not fall into the trap of disinformation,” he said.
