Category: Human Rights
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Professor Muhammad Yunus: The importance of being earnest
In this op-ed dated August 17, 2024. I warned that nepotism, arrogance, and culture of impunity could nullify the revolution’s success. From childhood, humans learn about their daily needs from their surroundings and the dos and don’ts from their parents, teachers, journalists, public representatives, law enforcers, and the judiciary. However, while the textbooks, social norms…
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Why do workplaces become torture cells for minor domestic workers?
Former national cricketer Shahadat Hossain Razib and his wife Jasmine Jahan were arrested in 2015 on charges of torturing their minor house help named Happy. They were tried in court but were discharged due to a lack of evidence. It was well-known that some influential quarters had influenced the police to make it happen. Another…
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Bangladesh: Single verdict in house help torture cases
Perpetrators enjoy impunity, rarely sued or arrestedVictims are mostly girls below 18 years of ageCases filed in less than half of incidents340 killed, 17 workers committed suicide since 2011286 incidents of deaths and torture from 2013 to March 2018 Eleven-year-old Aduri got justice for the inhuman torture she had to endure at the house of…
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Ill-treatment of house helps: A culture of abuse swept under the rug
In an educated, civilized society, we expect every employer and their family members to treat their house help as respectable people because of their hard work — from cleaning to cooking to raising kids, they perform their duties like machines. In addition to assigning tasks based on their abilities, ensuring timely payment of their wages,…
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The endangered Asian Elephants
According to IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) reported in August 2021, there are now only about 48,000-50,000 Asian Elephants found in 13 range states. More than 60% of the wild population exists in India alone. Only four other countries – Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka – have more than 2,000 wild elephants.…
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Why did Nixon sell lethal-end weapons to genocider Pakistan?
Pakistan had a request for five F-104 replacement aircraft and wanted to get 100 US-made second-hand M47 tanks, which were part of a promise to Gen Ayub Khan from President Lyndon Johnson during a stopover visit to Karachi airport in December 1967. After months of negotiations, President Richard Nixon on June 11, 1970, approved the…
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Don’t normalize hatred, brutality and politricks, pls!
Overenthusiasm and inaction are both harmful in crisis times. Since childhood, humans usually learn about the standard of living from their surrounding environment, from parents to classmates to birds and animals. As they grow up, many children spontaneously learn about while some are taught the dos and don’ts—both social norms and laws of the land.…
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Strict actions are needed for effective reforms
This op-ed was published on March 15, 2024. As Bangladesh continues to grapple with longstanding crises such as reserve management, corruption, and law enforcement, it’s evident that meaningful reforms are needed to overcome this uncomfortable situation and ease uneasiness. And such reforms demand resolute leadership. The aftermath of the recent elections, which saw the incumbent…
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US interests, accusations of ‘Arab Spring’, and Bangladesh’s path forward
In a recent twist of geopolitics, Russia has accused the United States of planning events to destabilize its close ally Bangladesh following the January 7 elections. The allegations, drawing parallels with the “Arab Spring”, shed light on the intricate dynamics of great power competition in South Asia. Earlier, China slammed the US for its alleged…
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May 10, 1971: Pakistani military ruler Yahya invites Awami League to form government
In early May during the Liberation War, Pakistan President General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan was pondering the transfer of political power without holding fresh elections. He was in favour of the Awami League forming the nucleus of the government in East Pakistan as it swept a landslide victory in the December 1970 elections, except for…
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1952 Language Movement Series: Not 5, dozens were killed on February 21-22
Bangalees started getting united to thwart possible attempts to undermine Bengali in July 1947, a month before the establishment of Pakistan and India based on religion, as they sensed the political leadership in West Pakistan would prioritize Urdu. They were right. The initiatives, taken by the West Pakistani rulers and supported by some Bangalee Muslim…
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THE BLOOD TELEGRAM: How a US envoy exposed genocide by Pakistan Army
While the Nixon-Kissinger administration continued supporting military strongman General AM Yahya Khan, who launched a crackdown to “maintain the integrity of Pakistan,” a diplomat in Dhaka urged the US government to express shock, describing the atrocities in a telegram on March 27, 1971. “Selective Genocide” was the title of the telegram sent by Consul General…
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Situation Analysis: Adivasi’s CHT labelled as conflict zone by Bangladesh government!
Recent developments in the apparently isolated Chittagong Hill Tracts and the environment which was supposed to prevail in the adivasi region in line with the 1997 Peace Accord appear to contradict at a larger extent nowadays, more than any time in the past. In a nutshell, the ruling Awami League, which signed the much-desired Accord…
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মাননীয় আওয়ামীলীগ, যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের বিচার নিয়া তালবাহানা বন্ধ করেন
আর আমাদের তথাকথিত নাগরিক সমাজের প্রতিনিধিরা গনতন্ত্র প্রতিষ্ঠার নামে চ্যাটের নিরপেক্ষতা চোদানো বন্ধ করেন। আপনাগো মতো মাতারীদের জন্যই জামায়াত, বিএনপি আর আওয়ামীলীগ পাবলিকরে বুড়া আঙ্গুল দেখাইতে পারে।
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যুদ্ধাপরাধ মামলার আপীল শুনানী ত্বরান্বিত কর
জট লাগছে সুপ্রীম কোর্টের আপীল বিভাগে। যেখানে একটিমাত্র বেঞ্চ ট্রাইব্যুনালের রায়ের বিরুদ্ধে করা আপীল শুনানী করে, তাও আবার অন্যান্য নিয়মিত মামলার পাশাপাশি।
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Why are the police so brutal?
These photos from July 14, 2014 were taken at noon on a pavement near Residential Model College, Dhaka showing how an officer of Mohammadpur police station reacts to street people smoking hemp with torture. Newspapers regularly publish photos of outrageous policemen beating up and even chocking people especially non-violent protesters. I’m not against harsh treatment of identified or noted criminals,…
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Sundarbans Oil Spill: Is Bangladesh capable of facing disasters?
Now Dolphins started dying after the Sundarbans oil spill. Fishes, birds, crabs are already dying. Next are the deer and tigers, and what not! However, it’s no big deal for this government and the administration of 2014 Bangladesh! Its minister says the oil spill will not harm the forest much! They are building two 1320MW coal-run power plants – despite knowing…
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Hang all 1971 war criminals
I’m not a patriot, not a nationalist, not even an Awami League supporter. But I want justice for the 1971 war crimes committed by the Pakistani Army with the help of local traitors led by Ghulam Azam. I’m aware of most of the historic events and politics since independence in favour of and against this…
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Phulbari will resist Asia Energy, Awami League
In just another aggressive effort of the Awami League government and the GCM Plc (Asia Energy), its CEO Gary Lye visited Phulbari in Dinajpur Wednesday noon. He was for the second time in two years obstructed by the conscious locals who have been opposing an open-pit coal mining project of the US and UK-based firm…
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Supreme cleric needed in Islamic Bangladesh
Bangladesh, having Islam as the state religion, badly needs a supreme leader or council to stop the extremists from giving different versions of the religion and issuing fatwas! These morons are becoming more powerful day by day and spreading misleading impression about Islam. Their acts are creating panic among the non-Muslims of this Muslim-majority country and…
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Bangladesh: November 7, 1975 events, through WikiLeaks
* Troops loyal to ousted chief of army staff Maj Gen Ziaur Rahman moved against his successor Maj Gen Khalid Mosharraf around 1am. There was considerable gunfire, punctuated by mortar blasts, at the Dhaka cantonment as the night passed. Shortly before 4am Radio Bangladesh announced that Zia had been named chief martial law administrator, thus…
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Legalise cattle smuggling from India
Just before his retirement, the then BSF chief UK Bansal in November 2012 had made some observations about the Indian Border Security Force’s policies, and gave solution to the unabated killings and torture of Bangladeshi people along the border, especially of the large number of so-called cattle smugglers. The most important thing he said rationally…
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Atrocious Indian BSF kills another Bangladeshi on border
Did you know? Indian BSF killed one Bangladeshi after entering the territory in northern Lalmonirhat district around 10:30pm Wednesday violating international border laws? Don’t know what can stop these killing machines… In the recent years, the two prime ministers, home ministers and the heads of border forces sat many times. Even the Border Security Force (BSF) had…
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Sayedee violence feared, again!
Do you remember the days of February – early, mid and late? It was a panicking month, most remarkably on and after February 28 when the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced top Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee alias Deilya Razakar for committing war crimes as a collaborator in Pirojpur during the 1971 Liberation War. Mindless attacks…
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ফখরুদ্দীন-মঈনউদ্দীনের বিচার কি হবে?
পরম শ্রদ্ধেয় বঙ্গবন্ধুর বড় মেয়ে, জননেত্রী, প্রধানমন্ত্রী ও গনতন্ত্রের মানসকন্যা শেখ হাসিনাকে “মিথ্যা দুর্নীতির মামলায়” জড়িয়ে ইয়াজউদ্দীনের অধীনে ফখরুদ্দীন-মঈনউদ্দীনের “অবৈধ” ও “অসাংবিধানিক” সরকার “গ্রেপ্তার” করে বিশেষ জেলে রেখেছিল, এমনকি খাবারের সাথে বিষ মিশিয়ে মেরে ফেলতে চেয়েছিল। গ্রেপ্তার ও নির্যাতনের স্বীকার হয়েছিলেন আরো অনেক কেন্দ্রীয় নেতা। দুই বছর তারা দেশে নানা অপকর্ম চালিয়েছিল, বিশেষ করে সেই ছাত্র-বিক্ষোভ।…
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Days of agonies under autocratic rulers
I often think how long to tolerate autocrats? I brainstorm how to stand their inhumane acts with a view to avoid suicide cause I never witnessed an ambience of Democratic leadership in Bangladesh since my childhood. It’s horrifyingly!!! For that I’ve got two solutions: compromise and join the autocrats, or live an honest life and…
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More inhuman acts to come
During the time of massive violence for days, it’s evident that the perpetrators won’t be tried or stopped when there’s a tough political programme. The opposition alliance is now doing that thing. Even though some central and local leaders are being held, the law enforcers and the apolitical people are the main victims of the…
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Critical situation, for many
The chief election commissioner Tuesday said the ongoing violence was not triggered after the polls schedule had been announced on November 25. Opposition began fully-fledged movement against the govt in late June over the cancellation of caretaker government provision since BNP believes polls can’t be fair under AL govt-controlled Election Commission. And if the BNP…
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