Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has issued the following statement on 9 December, 2021 on the occasion of World Human Rights Day, which is going to be observed on 10 December.
“World Human Rights Day is going to be observed on 10 December. 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. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit. Since then, the day has been observed as Human Rights Day across the world.
Right now, human rights are being violated in Palestine, Kashmir, Myanmar and other parts of the world. We are observing this day in such a time when there is no existence of democracy, rule of law and human rights in the country. People are being arrested unreasonably and people are being pushed towards death as they are kept behind the bar for years. People’s voting rights and freedom of expression have snatched away. There is no democracy in the country. Dissidents have no option to speak out. Judicial system and rule of law have been subdued. People’s lives and properties are not safe. The nation is witnessing crimes like murder, abduction, rape and human rights violations always.
The government has kept Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and world-renowned preacher of the Quran AllamaDelwar Hossain Sayedee, Assistant Secretary General and noted politician ATM Azharul Islam have been kept behind the bar for years, which is clear violation of human rights. Global human rights watchdogs including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch have protested government’s oppression and but the government paid no heed to their call. The government also kept Jamaat’s Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar and others for several months in connection with false political cases. BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister have been made deprived from her basic rights to receive appropriate treatment.
According to the non-government human rights organization Aain O Salish Kendra’s information, since January 2021 to September 2021, in these 9 months, 1085 women have become the victim of rape. Off them, 39 have been murdered after gang rape. In last 9 months, 48 people been killed in police custody. 6 people became the victim of abduction and enforced disappearance. Though 3 of them have been shown arrested so far and another 3 are still missing. Some 154 journalists have become the victim of assaults and violence in 9 months. Most of them have been assaulted by the ruling party leaders. The kids are the worst victims of these violence. 1636 children became the victims of torture and 471 kids have been murdered. 102 houses and other establishments of the minority community have been vandalized and looted. We came to know these numbers from the newspapers. But the actual figures are higher than that.
On the occasion of World Human Rights Day, we are calling upon the concerned authorities to release all the political prisoners. Besides, we are urging the fellow countrymen to make united efforts to establish democracy, rule of law, voting rights, and fundamental rights irrespective of their political views and identity.