The 2022 annual report of Human Rights Watch has caused some stir in some countries including Bangladesh -- from denigration to denial -- some countries calling it biased, others calling it untrue. But the fact remains that the report is an annual statement on the state of human rights in about 90 countries that the group monitors. It is a narrative based on statistics and factual observation of the state of human rights, religious freedom, freedom of expression, status of minorities, and overall environment in which the citizens live in each country. The annual report is neither an indictment nor an endorsement of the government of countries that the report covers. It is an annual appraisal of the state of human rights in each country, the rights that are innate to every citizen of the world.
Some of the key human rights are: Free speech, right to assembly, right to profess one’s religion, right to vote, right to health and education, and access to justice. In fact, these are fundamental rights that are ingrained in the constitutions of the countries that practice democracy. A report that covers the state of these rights in the countries of the world should be a welcome document in each country covered in this report so the governments can see how they are performing in these metrics. It should not be viewed as a censure, particularly when it comes from an institution that is not sponsored by any government or by an international agency.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) was founded in 1978, following the Helsinki Accords of 1975, to investigate and report on abuses of rights in countries that were signatories to the accord, primarily those behind the “Iron Curtain.” Since the fall of the Soviet Union, and demise of “Iron Curtain” countries of Europe, the reporting of the group has expanded to five continents. The group has investigated massacres, genocides, media-takeovers, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, and political persecution of individuals. The group’s stated commitment is to “justice, human dignity, and compassion, and equality.” HRW is an independent, non-governmental agency which is funded by donations from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It does not solicit or accept funding from any government or political entity (the group’s entire funding practice and financial contributions are reviewed and certified by Better Business Bureau of North America).
I can understand some discomfiture of some governments and their officials when an internationally published report holds up some uncomfortable facts as these do not help a positive image of the government. But there is no comfort in calling the report biased if the facts underlying the report are public knowledge and the government has been aware of these facts well before they appeared in the report. Take for example the report of death of a journalist in police custody, or the murder of a Rohingya leader in Cox’s Bazar. These are facts, and our government has stated its position on these when they happened including what actions they have taken. Similarly, reference to extra judicial killings by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh is also not new, since this had been raised by many agencies home and abroad for years. HRW is reporting on this as an ongoing issue. There are a few other issues and events that the HRW report on Bangladesh includes that are in the agency’s words illustrations of human rights abuse. But these instances have to be taken as observations on the country’s state of affairs in human rights, not an indictment.
Bangladesh is not the only country which is included in this pantheon of human rights abuse built on the canvas of HRW 2022 report. Take India for example. The report on India states: “Allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings persisted with the National Human Rights Commission registering 143 deaths in police custody and 104 alleged extrajudicial killings in the first nine months in 2021.” In Assam, the same report states: “After BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma became chief minister of Assam in May, his government’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ on crime led to an increase in police killings. By September, the police had reportedly killed 27 people in alleged extrajudicial killings and injured 40 others.”
In the United States, HRW 2022 includes the following observation: “The United States continues to fail to fulfill its human rights commitments, most notably in the area of racial justice as reflected in the country’s failure to end systemic racism linked to the legacies of slavery; abusive structures of incarceration, immigration enforcement, and social control affecting many racial and ethnic minorities; and the black-white wealth gap that persists alongside an overall slight increase in economic inequality.”
The point of quoting from the 2022 HRW Report on the countries including Bangladesh is to emphasize that the intention of HRW is not to denigrate or criticize Bangladesh or its government by highlighting cases which the agency considers abuse of human rights. The aim of this noble group is to keep on working toward improvement of human rights conditions of all countries of the world by pinpointing areas of failure and bringing attention of each government to these questions.
Democracy cannot be practised in countries that fail to ensure the basic rights to its citizens and flout them on one pretext or another, be it national security or defence from foreign conspiracy. National security or defence from foreign enemies cannot be attained by depriving the country’s own citizens right to free speech, right to free assembly, and right to elect their own representative without fear or favour. A nation cannot defend itself when its citizens are fearful to speak or move about. Its power to defend crumbles from within.
I know we are a proud nation, and we have a lot to be thankful for, particularly our hardworking people who sacrifice a lot on a daily basis to build a powerful country, both economically and morally. Our economic progress comes from hard work, but our moral progress comes from a strong foundation of values that are built on basic human rights. It is in our own interest that we should preserve these rights. In evaluating the report of HRW, or any other evaluation of our human rights, we should not blind our judgement by calling these evaluations biased or foreign inspired. We should look them in the eye and confront and correct these infractions including the agencies that are charged with any infraction. That way, we will make our moral progress.
Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the US.
