Paris, Sep 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) A leading international human rights organisation on Monday strongly condemned the extensive crackdown by Bangladeshi authorities on Awami League leaders, activists and supporters across the country, warning that the arbitrary mass arrests linked to peaceful processions and meetings pose a serious threat to civil liberties, political pluralism and accountability in the exercise of state power.
Expressing grave concern, Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) said that participation in—or preparations to participate in—peaceful processions has been characterised as “terrorist and anti-state activity" by the authorities.
Citing media reports, Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) said that more than 200 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations have been arrested across Bangladesh over the past three days, including 72 in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.
The rights body said that participating in a peaceful procession does not constitute "terrorism", attending a political meeting is not a crime, and supporting a political party cannot, by itself, constitute sufficient grounds for arrest.
It said that depriving people of their liberty by labelling criticism of the state or political opposition as “anti-state activity” amounts to an abuse of power, stressing that invoking anti-terrorism legislation cannot legitimise political repression.
“Even when a political organisation’s activities are prohibited by executive order, its members and supporters retain their fundamental rights. Using political affiliation as a substitute for evidence of criminal conduct and carrying out indiscriminate arrests without establishing each individual’s specific role are unacceptable. Vague allegations, political labels or formulaic accusations cannot absolve the authorities of responsibility for mass arrests,” the JMBF mentioned.
Amid the arrest of more than 200 people nationwide over the past three days, including 72 in successive operations surrounding a peaceful procession in Gulshan, JMBF has demanded that the government of Bangladesh explain the grounds for each detention.
The rights body questioned the specific allegations against every individual, their alleged role and the basis on which the necessity of their arrest was determined, stressing that mere participation in a procession or political affiliation cannot constitute sufficient grounds for arrest.
JMBF further said that “imprisoning people for peaceful political participation and driving them out of public life through fear of arrest pave the way for a society governed by fear.”
Highlighting the ongoing political repression in Bangladesh, the rights body called on the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the European Union, and all international organisations to closely monitor the worsening situation in the South Asian nation.
It also urged the global community to take the necessary measures, including applying effective diplomatic pressure on the government of Bangladesh, to ensure an environment in which everyone can exercise their political and civil rights equally, regardless of political affiliation.
Source: IANS
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