Joint Public Letter to UNOHCHR - Bangladesh World Press Freedom Day 2021

03 May 2021

H.E. Michelle Bachelet
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland

RE: Crackdown on Press Freedom & Freedom of Expression in Bangladesh

Dear High Commissioner Bachelet,

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, we write to draw your attention to the escalating human rights violations perpetrated by the Bangladesh government, exemplified in part by the increasing crackdown on press freedom and the freedom of expression of journalists, activists, and dissidents.

BANGLADESH AUTHORITIES MUST CONDUCT PROMPT, THOROUGH, IMPARTIAL, AND INDEPENDENTINVESTIGATIONS INTO THE DEATH OF PROTESTERS AND RESPECT PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

JOINT STATEMENT

The Bangladeshi authorities must conduct prompt, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations into the death of at least 14 protesters across the country between 26 and 28 March, and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, said 11 human rights organizations in a joint statement today. The organizations also called on the international community to urge Bangladeshi authorities to put an end to the practice of torturing and forcibly disappearingopposition activists.

Between 20 and 26 March 2021, police and members of ruling party Awami League attacked a series of protests across the country organized by different political and civil society groups, beat up and injured hundreds of largely peaceful protesters, according to local media reports.

JOINT STATEMENT INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST RESPOND TO CRACKDOWN ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN BANGLADESH

The Bangladeshi authorities must end their escalating crackdown on human rights, and respect and protect people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Bangladesh to curb protesters demanding justice for writer Mushtaq Ahmed’s death in prison on 25 February, the nine undersigned human rights organizations said in a joint statement today

BANGLADESH: Ensure Women’s Empowerment by Achieving Gender Equality

A joint statement by AFAD and Odhikar on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021

Dhaka/Manila, 8 March 2021: Violence and discrimination against women are widespread in Bangladesh. Moreover, due to rampant human rights violations such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody due to torture, majority of women from victim families face trauma, insecurity and financial difficulties. In Bangladesh, along with the repression by the authoritarian regime, women face a deep-rooted patriarchal power system. The victims of enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing are mainly male who in most cases are breadwinners. Therefore, their disappearance or extrajudicial killing not only creates severe trauma in the families but also imposes extreme financial burden on them. Women, especially wives of victims, suddenly find themselves heading the household even as they struggle to cope with the trauma.