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Govt has variety of means to control press

Human rights violated during Ershad's rule, says US

By Staff Correspondent
The US government detected several cases of human rights violation by ousted President Ershad and his regime. The report stated that until the fall of Ershad regime, the people of Bangladesh did not get the opportunity to change the government through democratic process.
The human rights report for the year 1990 released by the US government here on Tuesday stated that freedom of the press was muzzled by the past regime. The report men Honed that the government has a variety of means to control the press. These include formal and informal censor ship, 'guidance' from the Press Information Department, temporary closure of newspa pers. control of newsprint and arrest or Intimidation of Jour nalists. The Special Powers Act allows the government to ban domestic publications, to hold any newspaper employee responsible for the papers' content and comply Journalists to reveal news sources. During the state of emergency from November 27 to December 5. all publications were subjected to censorship. However, a strike of newspaper employees from the second day of the emergency made this a moot point as no newspapers were published until after the emergency was lifted. (The correct position Is that the Journalists stopped working from the very first day of the Imposition of emergency.) The report stated that the Interim government lifted formal and informal restrictions on the press when it assumed office.
The report further noted that there are major restrictions in Bangladesh on women s and workers rights as well as problems of arbitrary detentions, prisoner abuse and deaths in police custody.
There was a number of credible reports of deaths of persons In 1989 and 1990 while in police custody. There was also periodic violence on university campuses as student wings of various political parties clashed repeatedly, causing injuries and sometimes deaths.
Although the Constitution forbids torture and cruel, inhuman. or degrading punishment or treatment, police treatment of accused criminals and other detainees, including those held on political charges, is usually rough and can include torture and other abusive treatment during interrogations.
Beginning in January. 1990, Amnesty International published a special paper on four cases in which persons died while in police custody. The Government maintains that in three of these cases the victims died as a result of beatings by persons other than the police prior to their arrest In the fourth case the Government admitted probable police brutality but there was no indication that charges had been filed by year's end.
The Government has not Interfered with human rights groups' inquiries Into cases of prisoner abuse but seldom undertakes its won investigation and seldom punishes those responsible for such abuses. Apparently in response to reports of prisoner abuse, the Home Affairs Minister now requires a magistrate's investigation of any deaths In police custody.
The state of emergency In effect from November 27 until December 5 permitted arrests for strikes, processions, political or labour activities, or for making or printing statements against the Government. There were reports of resulting arrests. but the number and disposition of the cases in unknown.