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http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/01/07/d6010701044.htm
Amnesty International (AI) Secretary General Irene Khan who has just been offered a second stint in office sees 2006 as a crucial year for political developments centring the forthcoming general election as uncertainty is rife about the election being held in a free and fair manner.
"This year is crucial for Bangladesh also economically and socially," the Bangladesh-born AI chief said in an interview with The Daily Star Wednesday during her stay in Dhaka on a family visit.
She strongly criticised the Bangladesh government for failure to check rampant corruption and human rights abuses in different spheres of the society, and for failure to form a human rights commission, an independent judiciary, and an accountable administration.
Irene discussed in detail her points on political crisis, rise of militancy, human rights condition, government's attitude to global human rights bodies' recommendations, repression on the minorities, extra-judicial killings, and trial of war criminals.
"Private sector is doing well and there are some positive trends. Bangladesh came out of WTO not with a good record and there was quite a lot criticism that Bangladesh actually did not negotiate well," she said.
The AI chief observed that the coming year is significant because some tensions with fundamentalist trends are emerging and clashing with the traditional secular and tolerant tendencies in the country.
POLITICAL CRISIS
In the political field, the big test is going to be the election, she said. "Many are saying whether the election will be held at all and if held, whether it'll be free and fair and what will be the consequences if it is not free and fair."
A sense of uncertainty and unease is widespread over holding of the election, she noted.
She said she fears there will be an increase in human rights violation in the build-up to the next election over the opposition's threat not to take part in the polls without reforms in electoral and caretaker government systems, and the apprehension about coming of a third force.
"People will take to the streets, there will be more demonstrations, more violence, one party against the other or other elements coming in that case. So, the risk of violence and human rights abuses will be high in this process," she said.
For human rights to thrive, a good strong democracy is a must and free and fair elections are a prerequisite to the democracy, she said. "You need simultaneously an independent judiciary, a dynamic civil society, free media and an accountable administration, none of which are existing in a perfect state here in Bangladesh."
Continues she: "Election process is being challenged for various reasons. Independence of the judiciary has been a big issue. "We're in a situation of a democracy that is emerging and at risk."
"I still hope our political leaders, in power and seeking power, will show political maturity. They will give us the leadership so that we can hope 2007 will give us a stronger democracy."
It is possible only if the leaders believe and hold themselves accountable to the people, she said, adding: "Accountability doesn't come just by dropping a paper in the ballot box once in five years. It's a process. Where is justice of attack on rights activists, politicians and political leaders, murder of people like Kibria and Ivy Rahman, attacks on common people and journalists?
"There should be trial and just trial for injustices and the government has to be open to the people and there should be parliamentary scrutiny, which is also missing in our system."
She said she hopes the political parties, international community and the government will sit together and work out a solution that'll respect human rights.
Asked about the possibility of a third force emerging if the situation worsens, she said, "I don't think people of Bangladesh will accept any situation where their rights are going to be trampled again, the political rights for example. I think the leaders know it. Whatever third force they might be, is also aware of it, I suspect."
"But what happens if the political process itself is corrupted? If a government comes through an election not held in a free and fair manner and if it's not able to govern the country properly? That'll be even more dangerous," the AI boss said.
"I think this government could have done many things, they came with a very powerful mandate. This is time for this government to put in place some lasting institutions. Another significance is how this government wants to be judged," she said.
HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITION
Irene identified people's growing awareness about human rights and mobilisation for themselves at different levels, flourishing civil society organisations and performance of private enterprises as positive trends.
"The great concern for human rights situation is impunity, absence of trial of injustice. The poison of impunity is deep-rooted in Bangladesh, right from the beginning. Many injustices have taken place since 1971 and trial of none of these has been made.
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On coming to power, political parties think they got the people's mandate to rule without scrutiny, which simply cannot be acceptable in a democracy, she said.
"There is barely any parliamentary scrutiny or accountability to people, and corruption is rife. This sort of bad governance makes it very difficult for people to exercise their human rights. Misgover-nance is ruining the hopes of ordinary people," she said, stressing the need for proper institutions of governance and human rights.
The administration is getting worse in terms of governance and this has been consistently the pattern, she said, adding, "And this is where private enterprise and actors are stepping in to fill that vacuum."
The AI and international community will keep a close watch on the minority issue in the coming year because of the upcoming elections and the Bangladesh government is aware of it, she said.
"The government has taken an ambivalent view on the Ahmadiyya issue, sometimes we see them stopping the anti-Ahmadiyya activists but in other times they turn a blind eye. Our position is very clear, the government is bound to protect everyone within its territory from human rights violations."
First the government launched the Operation Clean Heart and then introduced the Rab. "This is not the way. The guilty people also have human rights and have to be tried justly. When you bring the army in and people get killed, people do not get justice. The army was given indemnity. This is not the way to administer law and order."
"The government has to work within the law to improve law and order. How can it expect the people to have confidence in the rule of law when the government itself has no confidence in the rule of law?" she observed.
The AI chief said it is worrying that the government is not paying heed to the concern of the AI and other rights organisations. "We had requested the present and past governments to put in place human rights institutions, national human rights commission. Both the last government and present government had promised to do it, but they didn't."
"Governments generally tend to believe that they need to control when there is any security problem and the global tendency is to reduce liberty and restrict human rights to increase security," she said, talking about newly introduced tele-tapping law.
"There is provision of restriction in human rights system in the cases of emergency and other situation as well. The way tele-tapping is being done is a matter of concern to me. There is no proper scrutiny, no debate in the parliament, whose phone is being tapped, and there is no system of redress. There is no protection of the individual," she added.
MILITANCY
"There is a civil society and not-so-civil society and that's why we've seen the militancy. The vacuum that has been created because there is no governance which provides a space for bad elements to indulge in violence," Irene said.
Government first ignored the issue, then did nothing, and then is doing something half-heartedly, she noted. "Although these elements are few, their influence appears much because of the way the government is dealing it. I think the government needs to take it very seriously and get to the roots of the problem. So far their tendency is only to deal with the symptoms."
"The whole world is watching how the government deals with the militants because so far it was in a state of denial. The test will be in 2006 of what action the government takes and how effective those steps would be."
"The militants are trying to restrict tolerance and diversity. They are trying to restrict the space for liberal and alternative thinking," she said.
But Irene sees no success for the militants. "I don't think any kind of extremist ideology will succeed. Because people of Bangladesh are tolerant, there is diversity here. The militants can't destroy everything and take us back 500 years. What can happen is an increase in fear, insecurity and instability."
On international link, she said, "I don't know if there is an international link or not, but we should solve the problems inside the country. If our own house is in order, no foreign power can do anything to us."
Asked to comment on government reaction of expelling Abu Hena MP for his statement about militant network, she said, "Instead of being transparent, the government goes after whistleblowers like Abu Hena."
TRIAL OF WAR CRIMINALS
Irene finds it 'very important' to deal with the issue of war crime because international human rights trends are now towards justice and ending impunity.
"The wounds need to be healed, not to divide the country but to bring people together and provide them justice, so that people can forgive and move on," she said.
If the Bangladesh government feels it is going to be a very tricky situation to deal with, it can invite the UN Human Rights Comm-ission and other international bodies that have experience and seek their advice, she said.
GOVT'S IMAGE CRISIS
The government has to be aware that others cannot create its image. "It is the government who has the power to create its image or destroy it; others simply reflect and expose it. So, the responsibility has to lie with the government," she observed.
A ruling government cannot use others as an excuse not to discharge its own responsibility. "If it does so, it admits its own failure. If it accuses others of doing something that means the government is not capable of running its affairs," she said, adding that what the government is doing is putting pressure on the media not to expose the situation as it sees.
GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITION
Irene finds 2005 a mixed year. But the trend is in favour of Human Rights in the long run. "Even the most powerful country in the world was put on the docks of global conscience. Bangladesh cannot buck the trend, because the government will face the same pressures." "We're not in a hopeless situation in Bangladesh. I've found a growing awareness and maturity among the cross section of people here. The question is whether our leaders will show the same political maturity."
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