Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Global Overview 2012: People internally displaced by conflict and violence

Published by on April 29, 2013

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 29 April 2013 No recent information was available on the number of people internally displaced as a result of armed conflict and violence in Bangladesh. IDPs are widely dispersed, and the fact that internally displaced Bengalis are not always counted also makes estimating figures difficult. In September 2012, dozens of people were injured and more than 100 houses and shops burned down during communal violence between Bengalis and non-Bengalis in the south-eastern Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. Around 1,000 non-Bengali families, or 5,000 people, were reported to have been internally displaced. Tensions between Bengalis, the Read the full article…

Human Rights and Democracy: The 2012 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report

Published by on April 1, 2013

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office April 2013 SECTION IX: Human Rights in the Countries of Concern This section contains our review of the human rights situation in 27 countries where the UK Government has wide-ranging concerns. For this year’s report, we decided to review thoroughly the criteria we use for deciding which countries are of most human rights concern to the UK. We drew on feedback from the Foreign Affairs Committee and consulted with the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Group on Human Rights in doing so. Our geographical directors, with input from our embassies and high commissions overseas, subsequently assessed all Read the full article…

Bangladesh: wave of violent attacks against Hindu minority

Published by on March 6, 2013

6 March 2013 Amnesty International A wave of violent attacks against Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community shows the urgent need for authorities to provide them with better protection, Amnesty International said. Over the past week, individuals taking part in strikes called for by Islamic parties have vandalised more than 40 Hindu temples across Bangladesh. Scores of shops and houses belonging to the Hindu community have also been burned down, leaving hundreds of people homeless. The attacks come in the context of large scale violent protests that have been raging across Bangladesh for weeks over the country’s ongoing war crimes tribunal, the Read the full article…

Bangladesh : Human Rights Watch 2013 Annual Report

Published by on January 31, 2013

31 January 2013 Human Rights Watch Bangladesh’s overall human rights situation worsened in 2012, as the government narrowed political and civil society space, continued to shield abusive security forces from accountability, and flatly ignored calls by Human Rights Watch to reform laws and procedures in flawed war crimes and mutiny trials. Civil society and human rights defenders reported increased governmental pressure and monitoring. See full report

Bangladesh: Scrap New Commission to Restrict NGOs

Published by on September 11, 2012

Human Rights Watch News 11th September 2012 ‘Body is ‘Smokescreen’ for Government to Control Civil Society’ The Bangladeshi government’s recently announced commission to regulate nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) adds burdensome procedures that will hinder important watchdog functions. International donors should press the Awami League government to ensure that the country’s thriving NGO sector can continue to work without unnecessary government interference. On August 25, 2012, the Bangladeshi government stated it was going to launch a commission to look into the operations of NGOs, claiming that many were involved in “terror-financing and other anti-state activities.” The government announced at the same time Read the full article…

Bangladesh: ‘People pay more to the police than to their government’

Published by on August 10, 2012

Asian Human Rights Commission AHRC News 10th August 2012 …Policing in the country is an industry of producing victims of torture and fabrication of criminal charges against civilians and political opponents; corruption has replaced the chain of command within the police. The constant failure of the police to credibly investigate crimes is the single largest impediment within the criminal justice administration in the country. To keep the police subservient to the ruling elite the government has kept the salary of the police force very low. This opens the floodgates and serves as incentive for the police officers to demand and Read the full article…

Bangladesh: ‘Torture, Deaths of Jailed Mutiny Suspects’

Published by on July 4, 2012

Human Rights Watch News 4th July 2012 Suspects in the 2009 mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles border guards (BDR) have been subjected to widespread abuse, torture, and deaths in custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The mass trials of nearly 6,000 suspects raise serious fair trial concerns… At least 47 suspects have died in custody. Detainees were subjected to beatings, often on the soles of their feet or palms of their hands, and to electric shock. Some victims described being hung upside down from the ceiling. Many of those who survived the torture suffered long-term physical Read the full article…

Bangladesh: ‘Minister Endorses Torture’

Published by on May 30, 2012

Asian Human Rights Commission AHRC News 30th May 2012 Bangladesh’s State Minister for Home Affairs Mr. Shamsul Haque Tuku has advised the journalists to keep a ‘safe distance’ from the country’s police while both the journalists and the police are on duty. The minister is cited in the national media including The Daily Star’s online edition on 30 May 2012, that he said, “I will tell my journalist friends that they can avoid such unwanted incidents if they collect news or take photos through keeping a safe distance {from police}. I hope you {journalists} will consider it.” The remarks were Read the full article…

Bangladesh: Amnesty International annual report 2012

Published by on May 24, 2012

Amnesty International Annual Report 2012: the state of the world’s human rights Published 24 May 2012 Extrajudicial executions continued despite a government pledge to end them. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel, suspected of more than 54 unlawful killings during the year, were neither investigated independently nor brought to justice. The government failed to enforce its new policy to support women victims of violence. Amendments to the rules governing the Bangladeshi International Crimes Tribunal reduced, but did not eliminate, the possibility of unfair trials for those accused of 1971 war crimes. The government failed to secure the right to livelihood and Read the full article…

Bangladesh: UK Border Agency Operational Guidance Note

Published by on February 16, 2012

United Kingdom: Home Office, Operational Guidance Note: Bangladesh, February 2012 This report, and other Country Specific Asylum Policy OGNs, can be found at UKBA website here. CONTENTS Country assessment - Actors of protection - Internal relocation - Country guidance caselaw Main categories of claims - Members of political parties - Victims of domestic violence - Prison conditions Discretionary Leave - Minors claiming in their own right - Medical treatment Returns Introduction This document provides UK Border Agency caseowners with guidance on the nature and handling of the most common types of claims received from nationals/residents of Bangladesh, including whether claims Read the full article…