Justice Makers Bangladesh in France says more than 200 Awami League leaders and activists have been arrested across the country…reports London Daily News Desk
Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), an international human rights organisation, has condemned what it described as a widespread crackdown by Bangladeshi authorities on Awami League leaders, activists and supporters, warning that mass arrests could undermine civil liberties and political pluralism.
The rights body said more than 200 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations had been arrested across Bangladesh over the past three days, citing media reports. It said the arrests included 72 people detained during successive police operations in Dhaka’s Gulshan area surrounding a peaceful procession.
JMBF expressed concern over the authorities’ alleged characterisation of participation in, or preparations for, peaceful political processions as “terrorist and anti-state activity”.
The organisation stressed that taking part in a peaceful procession does not amount to terrorism, attending a political meeting is not in itself a crime and political affiliation alone should not be grounds for arrest.
It accused the authorities of potentially abusing anti-terrorism laws to suppress political opposition and criticism, arguing that allegations of “anti-state activity” must be supported by evidence of specific criminal conduct.
“Even when a political organisation’s activities are prohibited by executive order, its members and supporters retain their fundamental rights,” JMBF said.
The organisation argued that authorities must establish the individual role and alleged offence of each person arrested rather than relying on political labels or broad accusations.
“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,” it said.
JMBF called on the Bangladesh government to provide clear explanations for each detention, including the specific allegations against those arrested, their alleged roles and the reasons authorities considered their arrests necessary.
The rights organisation maintained that merely attending a procession or being associated with a political party should not be sufficient grounds for depriving an individual of their liberty.
“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,” it said.
JMBF also urged international institutions to closely monitor the political and human rights situation in Bangladesh.
It called on the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, the European Union and other international organisations to assess the situation and respond to what it described as worsening political repression.
The rights body further urged the international community to exert diplomatic pressure on the Bangladesh government to ensure that political and civil rights are protected equally, irrespective of political affiliation.
