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AHRC-PL-075-2006

BANGLADESH: UN needs special envoy for Bangladesh, AHRC says

(Hong Kong, August 18, 2006) The secretary general of the United Nations should appoint a special envoy to monitor and report on the situation in Bangladesh, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said on Friday.

In an open letter to Kofi Annan, the Hong Kong-based regional rights group called for the appointment of a special independent expert to represent the secretary general and better understand and inform UN agencies about conditions in the South Asian country.

"The AHRC is concerned that at this time the relationships between UN agencies and Bangladesh, whether the Human Rights Council, Department of Peacekeeping Operations or humanitarian agencies in the country, have not been properly informed by a well-researched and overarching strategy," Basil Fernando, executive director of the AHRC, said. 

"This creates a false impression about the actual conditions in the country and causes unnecessary wastage of resources," Fernando said.

The AHRC described Bangladesh as suffering from "the illusion of democracy", whereby "the ritual performance of elections, existence of political parties and some independent media outlets" masks a different reality.

It accused the government of Bangladesh of protecting itself by confusing the role of the judiciary and judicial process, placing law and order before the rule of law, exaggerating threats from criminal and terrorist elements and using the poor as political slaves.

It also said that the UN had failed to recognise the explicit links between impunity and poverty there.

"Money is poured into institutions from which it drains out of innumerable holes long before reaching its intended recipients," Fernando said. 

"Meanwhile, the country remains saddled with a primitive police force, a cardboard cut-out version of a lower judiciary, and dangerous, self-interested politicians," he concluded.

The AHRC said that the need for a special envoy to study conditions and help negotiate UN involvement in Bangladesh was at least as great as in Cambodia and Burma, where such posts already exist.

"In fact, there are many more prospects for effective work by a UN special representative on Bangladesh than for those on Burma and Cambodia at the present time," Fernando commented on the letter.

"The government of Bangladesh will be more enthusiastic to retain its international standing and involvement in UN organisations and activities than the governments of the other two, and therefore will be more willing to make concessions and work with a special envoy to bring about necessary changes," he said.

"For this among other reasons, Bangladesh should be a much higher priority for the UN than it has been up to now," Fernando added.

The AHRC on Thursday urged the under secretary general responsible for peacekeeping operations to ban Bangladeshi troops from further involvement in UN operations until key domestic rights concerns are addressed.

It highlighted alleged abuses by members of the joint forces Rapid Action Battalion, whose commanders have served in UN missions.

Earlier it drew the attention of the new UN Human Rights Council, as well as the High Commissioner for Human Rights and numerous experts under her office to the "horrible" human rights conditions in Bangladesh.

The group has identified the country's non-independent lower judiciary, politicised prosecution and violent policing institutions as key obstacles to the protection of human rights there.

It has also noted the absence of any national human rights body and ineffective anti-corruption commission as examples of other institutional gaps.

The AHRC has proposed that the Human Rights Council withdraw Bangladesh's membership, while independent experts should arrange visits to the country as soon as possible.

It also suggested that the high commissioner appoint her own special expert to examine and document specific human rights concerns in the country. 

A special report on policing and the judiciary in Bangladesh which is due to be released soon is expected to amplify on these proposals. 

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.