Reconstitute NHRC with qualified people
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that institutions like the NHRC do not act as a puppet of the government.
“There should be fairness in the appointment of commission members and the commission should undergo constructive reforms,” added Shihab.
Pallab Chakma, executive director of Kapaeeng Foundation, said the human rights situation of a country can be evaluated through the condition of its minority communities.
“Our commission has become a rehabilitation centre for retired bureaucrats. How would these bureaucrats, who worked under the political leaders and ministers, question the past government?” Pallab wondered.
Speaking at the event, Shipping, Textiles and Jute Adviser Brigadier General (Retired) M Sakhawat Hussain sought the cooperation of political parties to uphold human rights and bring reforms.
“We need the support of every political party.”
“We must protect all of our citizens. It is also your (political parties’) duty to protect the rights of all the citizens,” he said.
The adviser said the government has a plan to build the police as a humane force, and added that violators of human rights must be brought to justice.
Sakhawat stressed the need for a united civil society, which is “divided into many factions”.
Mohammad Nur Khan, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, said the role of the NHRC is significant, and its appointment process should be transparent. Its members should also be accountable.
He urged the government to not only focus on recent human rights violations, but to start discussions on violations dating back to 1972.
“We must preserve sites of state abuse like torture cells and the ‘Aynaghar’ as historical evidence,” he said.
Khan also called for immediate travel bans on government officials implicated in past human rights abuses to prevent them from fleeing the country.
Supreme Court advocate Dilruba Shormin said retired bureaucrats were appointed to the commission as it always was insignificant to the government.
“If we want to reconstitute the commission, we have to make sure that a law enforcement agency does not have the authority to investigate human rights violations by its own members,” she said.
Political observer Saleh Ahmed said that Bangladesh could not build a society where human rights prevail because the country lacks a “fair political practice”.
“We do have commissions, laws, and everything in place, but there is no application of those as we lack a fair political practice. If it does not exist, no institution will function. If we can improve our political practice, everything else will get better,” he said.
Journalist Ashraf Qaiser said those who can torture others are appreciated in this country.
“If you have power and don’t show it, you’re not a man. It’s part of the culture. It’s not possible to ensure human rights just by amending some rules or reconstituting some institutions. We have to change our mindset as well,” said Qaiser.
Alena Khan, human rights activist and lawyer, opined in favour of amending some rules of the NHRC.
“The commission cannot disclose the report of any investigation committee to anyone other than the government. If this law remains in place, every commission will be compelled to work as per the will of the political government. This must be changed,” she said.
Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) Chairman Bobby Hajjaj said that the commission should have the capacity to fight against any human rights violations by government institutions.
“If the Human Rights Commission remains a part of the government, it will not be able to oppose the government. We have to bring it out of the government’s dominance to see an effective role from it,” said Bobby.
The speakers also urged the interim government to form separate commissions to investigate the deadly 2009 BDR mutiny, the 2013 attack on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally and the killings during the July-August student-led mass uprising.
Sanjida Islam Tulee, convenor of Mayer Daak, a platform for family members of victims of enforced disappearances, Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuaad, joint member secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, Rashed Khan, general secretary of the Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP), Jahangirnagar University student Tauhid Siam and Jagannath University student Naima Akter Rita, among others, spoke at the dialogue.