A report by the UN's human rights body, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stood accused of complete erasure of BNP’s involvement in the attack on journalists who were covering clashes on October 28.
This raised questions over the UN body’s commitment to maintain neutrality coupled with reliance on partisan sources in Bangladesh.
On October 28, almost all media outlets carried stories quoting the injured journalists that they were injured while covering clashes between BNP men and the police.
Even video footage was broadcast showing opposition activists attacking journalists while they were capturing images or making videos of the violence.
But the OHCHR claimed that “approximately 30 journalists were assaulted by protesters and masked individuals riding on motorcycles, who are thought to have been ruling party supporters” in a briefing note on October 31.
The government rejected the report and asked the OHCHR to rectify it on the basis of “authentic facts”.
“If the OHCHR's statements are not highly objective, the office will lose people's support, acceptability and credibility,” the foreign ministry said.
This is not the first time that the credibility of OHCHR has taken a blow. Earlier, media found names of two Indian insurgents, both of whom were living in India, on the list of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.
Prof Mizanur Rahman, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, said the report on the October 28 events has made the UN “a laughing stock to say the least”.
In a WhatsApp interview, he explained the issue to Dhaka Tribune in a broader context.
“The question of whether the UN has outlived its necessity has been roaming around for the past several years. Jurists and international law experts are well aware of the limitations of the UN but nonetheless we always have been looking to see a robust UN- truly dedicated to ensuring peace, tranquility and good order in the world," he said.
“However, the weakness of the organization in playing a semblance of effective role to curb flagrant violations of international law by Israel and its allies have brought forward the impotence of the UN in dealing with global problems.
“Now, with the kind of OHCHR statement with regard to violence inflicted by the BNP especially on the 28th of October in Dhaka and elsewhere has made the UN a laughing stalk to say the least! Has the UN become so irrelevant that it no longer bothers to differentiate truth from falsehood?
“Or is it that because of its inefficacy to put a strong face against Israel, it now thinks it better to be aligned with the perpetrators of violence, arson and killing of innocent civilians? The UN probably is putting the final nails in its coffin, but sadly without realising it!” Prof Rahman said.
Tabiur Rahman Prodhan, associate professor of mass communication and journalism, Begum Rokeya University, called the report partisan and asked the OHCHR to stand corrected.
“If we go by OHCHR’s commitment to work in an impartial manner, then such a partisan approach is totally unprofessional and requires some explanation on the part of OHCHR officials with necessary correction,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Referring to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s call to protect journalists, marking International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Tabiur added: “Unless the report stands corrected, the partisan projection in this case by OHCHR on Bangladesh will directly contradict Guterres’s call and expose double standard on part of OHCHR."
Earlier, when the names of two Indians appeared in the OHCHR report on Bangladesh, well-known rights activist Advocate Sultana Kamal in a media interview suggested that UN bodies and other international organizations should not rely on single sources while gathering information on human rights issues.
Verifying and validating data with credible organizations, preferably those within the country, is an essential part of the process, she said, highlighting the importance of accuracy in avoiding "fake abuse" cases for the sake of protecting the interests of genuine victims.
