9 December 2020, Wed, 6:21

Human Rights Day is going to be observed tomorrow

Jamaat Ameer urges countrymen to play active role for ensuring human rights

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami' Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has issued the following statement on 9 December 2010 on the eve of World Human Rights Day.

Tomorrow, 10 December is World Human Rights Day. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. United Nations later declared the day in 1950 and since then the day has been observed worldwide.

Human rights are completely destroyed in many countries now including Palestine, Syria, Kashmir and Myanmar. We are observing the day in our homeland in such a period when there is no human rights, rule of law and democracy in the country. People are frequently becoming the victims of extra judicial killings. The countrymen are harassed and oppressed in connection with some false and concocted cases and they are being kept behind the bar for years. The authority has hijacked people's voting rights and freedom of expressions. There is no practice of democracy. Opposition parties are not allowed to hold rallies and programs. Judicial and criminal systems have been ruined. Public lives and properties are not safe anymore. Crimes like rape, murder, abduction, enforced disappearances, hijacks, robbery are increasing alarmingly. As a whole, a terrible and suffocating situation is prevailing in the country.

According to a recent report of human rights watchdog, Aain O Salish Kendra (ASK), from January to September of 2020, in just 9 months, 975 women have been raped. Off them, 208 became the victims of gang rapes. 185 people have become the victims of extra judicial killings whereas 27 men killed in police custody. Although these reports have been prepared based on the newspaper reports but the actual number is reasonably higher.

Under the circumstances, I am urging my fellow countrymen to raise voice to establish democracy and rule of law and also to ensure human rights and freedom of expression.