Human Rights: US report undermines certain state institutions

The US Human Rights Report 2023 “fails to appreciate, rather undermines” a number of valued state institutions, including the judiciary and certain statutory bodies, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said yesterday.

This is detrimental to the morale and functioning of those institutions, the ministry pointed out.

“Regrettably, many of the improvements and achievements of the government have not been acknowledged in the report. On the other hand, isolated and unfounded allegations continue to be flagged as part of a systematic trend,” Seheli Sabrin, spokesperson for the ministry, told reporters at a briefing.

The report launched by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 23 said there were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Bangladesh last year.

Seheli said that a thorough reading of the report would make it evident that it is replete with references to alleged incidents or events reported by individuals, which were used to draw broad, generalised inferences.

One of the grossly missing items in the report is the systematic campaigns that the anti-state and anti-government elements launched in the lead up to the 12th national election last year to create unrest, violence and anarchy, using diverse interest groups, Seheli mentioned.

Seheli said it is also apparent that the report mostly relies on assumptions and unsubstantiated allegations drawn from local and international non-government organisations, many of which are supported by the US government or related entities.

“As such, some of the inherent biases in the reporting pattern are quite evident,” she said

The Bangladesh government, however, appreciated the continued interest of the US administration in the human rights situation across the globe.

“No matter how much we aspire, the human rights situation is not perfect anywhere in the world… socio-economic constraints often put limits to the pace of realising the rights,” said the spokesperson.

She said the government of Bangladesh has been doing its best to uphold human rights of its citizens. “Indeed, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the human rights situation has significantly improved in Bangladesh.”

Keeping in mind the areas that need further improvement, the government continues to make efforts to improve human rights situation.

“Any discerning observer would notice that such efforts resulted in significant improvement in women’s empowerment, gender parity, children’s rights, rights of elderly persons, workers’ rights, grievance redressal, access to justice, religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and so on and so forth,” the spokesperson observed.