& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Concern over violation of human rights

Staff Correspondent
Speakers at the inaugural session of a fair marking International Human * Rights Day yesterday expressed grave concerns at escalating human rights violations in the country including violence against women and children, persecution of minorities, deaths in 'crossfire', mass arrests and corruption.
They asked the government and the people of Bangladesh to honour and promote the fundamental principles of personal liberty and freedom as guaranteed in the constitution. They also urged all to exercise the principles of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Bangladesh Human Rights Advocacy Program (BHRAP) of the Academy for Educational
FROM PAGE 1
Development (AED), a Washingtonbased NGO, organised the daylong 'human rights fair’, first of its kind in the country, on the Jatiya Press Club premises in the capital with the slogan: 'Human Rights Begin at Home.'
Hie programme participated by several rights bodies from across the country began with an hour-long human chain near the Supreme Court at 9:00am.
Justice Habibur Rahman, chief adviser of the 1996 caretaker government, then inaugurated the fair as the chief guest of the session at the press club auditorium.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Rahman expressed his concern about ongoing gross violations of human rights.
The country experienced gross violations of rights in 1971 and, though the state was founded on the four principles of democracy, socialism, secularism and nationalism, it has failed again and again to ensure citizens' rights after the independence, he said.
The poor are mostly deprived of rights, he said, emphasising formation of an effective national human rights commission from the executivelevel.
Susan Ward, chief of AED, Reazuddin Ahmed, president of Jatiya Press Club, Sigma Huda, special reporter on trafficking in persons of the UN Commission for Human Rights, and Judith Chammas, deputy chief of Mission of US Embassy, were present as special guests.
The speakers discussed the nature of human rights violation around the globe and emphasised awareness campaigns against it.
/\s many as 19 NGOs took part in the fair that presented pot song, documentary film, stage, gambhira and jatra shows.
The NGOs exhibited books, leaflets, magazines and publications on human rights in their stalls.
Hie UN-mandated day was also observed at many other levels across the country. Human Rights and
Social Development Association, Bangladesh Manobadhikar Samonnay Parishad, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Bangladesh Development Partnership Centre, Bangladesh Lawyers League for Human Rights, Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights, Desh Banchao Forum, Angikar Bangladesh and Bangladesh Human Rights Survey Committee held rallies, seminars, discussions and other programmes in the capital.