Shawdesh desk:

The US department of state in released its annual human rights report on Monday stating that politicisation of crimes, corruption, and lack of independent accountability mechanisms were significant factors contributing to impunity, including for custodial torture in Bangladesh.

The report also said that individuals and organisations might seek judicial remedies for human rights abuse, but lack of public faith in the court system deterred many from filing complaints.

‘Courts or other mechanisms were insufficiently independent to provide effective civil remedies for human rights abuses,’ the report said.

It said that Bangladesh police falsely constructed cases to target opposition leaders, activists, and supporters, and that the government used the law enforcement agency to crack down on political rivals.

Citing human rights groups and media, it reported that disappearances and kidnaps continued, allegedly committed by security services.

Between January and September, a local human rights organisation reported that 16 people were victims of enforced disappearances, the report said.

‘Civil society organisations reported victims of enforced disappearance were mostly opposition leaders, activists, and dissidents,’ it stated.

‘The families of disappeared individuals received frequent intimidation and threats for speaking out,’ read the report.

In April, Mayer Daak, an organisation of the families of victims of enforced disappearances, held a press conference where it stated enforced disappearances continued unabated, particularly cases involving opposition party members, it said.

‘In August, the organisation alleged members of the ruling Awami League party had been uploading fabricated images on social media to malign the characters of female members of the victims’ families,’ the report said.

Although the constitution and law prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, the local and international human rights organisations and media reported that security forces, including those from the intelligence services, police, and soldiers seconded into civilian law enforcement agencies, employed torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, stated the US report.

‘Numerous organisations also claimed security forces were involved in widespread and routine commission of torture, occasionally resulting in death, for the purpose of soliciting payment of bribes or obtaining confessions,’ it read.

‘While police are required to conduct internal investigations of all significant abuses, civil society organisations alleged that investigative mechanisms were not independent and did not lead to justice for victims,’ it said.

‘Media, civil society, and human rights organisations accused the government of conducting enforced disappearances not only against suspected militants but also against civil society and opposition party members,’ read the report.

‘There were credible reports that for politically motivated purposes, the government attempted to exert bilateral pressure on other countries aimed at having them take adverse action against specific individuals,’ it stated.