Bangladesh government should immediately end its use of excessive force, stop arbitrary arrest of members of opposition parties and lift restrictions on media, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
“The government’s indiscriminate use of force, arbitrary arrests, and censorship will only inflame an already tense situation,” said HRW Director Brad Adams in a statement.
“Authorities have an obligation to protect the public, but need to do it in a way that does not throw human rights and the rule of law out the window.”
The HRW report claimed that hundreds of opposition activists, including from BNP and Jamaat, have been rounded up in recent days. The government crackdown has come in response to opposition protests on the anniversary of controversial national polls.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia has been effectively detained in her office in Dhaka since January 3, the report said.
Although the government claims she is not under arrest, a heavy security presence is in place, the gates are locked, and she has been denied exit, reports UNB.
On January 6, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamghir, the acting secretary general of the BNP, was arrested in Dhaka, for allegedly organising a protest the previous day that led to the deaths of four people and dozens of injuries.
Two activists were shot dead in clashes between activists from the ruling party and security forces. Another two died the same day at the hands of security forces. Several other BNP leaders have been arrested as well.
The authorities have also targeted media perceived to be sympathetic to the opposition. Abdus Salam, chairman of Ekushey TV (ETV), was arrested and detained on January 7, allegedly for charges of broadcasting pornography.
“The space for speech critical of the government was already under threat before this recent clampdown,” Adams said. “The arrest of the owner and closure of a TV station is not acceptable from a government that claims to be democratic.”
