The United Kingdom has encouraged all political parties in Bangladesh to work towards free, fair and participatory national elections in 2019 saying ‘fair and participatory’ elections are crucial, reports UNB.
The country, in its Human Rights and Democracy Report 2015 released yesterday, also observed that there was no improvement in the overall human rights situation in Bangladesh in 2015.
“We remain clear that an effective justice system, and a vibrant civil society and free media, able to challenge and hold authority to account, are fundamental to a successful democracy,” said the UK.
In this year’s annual report, the UK has for the first time employed a single category around designating 30 Human Rights Priority Countries (HPRCs), including Bangladesh, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The report in its Bangladesh part said Bangladesh has a growing economy and aspires to reach a middle-income status by 2021. “We encourage the Bangladesh authorities to ensure that this is matched by a positive human rights trajectory during 2016 and beyond.”
Positive indicators would include careful consideration of recommendations by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief when his report is released in 2016.
“We’ll also encourage the government to engage constructively with the UN Human Rights Committee when it reviews Bangladesh in October 2016,” said the report.
It observed that tensions between the two main political parties -- the ruling Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- remain unresolved.
Confrontational actions during the first quarter of 2015, including the arrest of senior BNP leaders, an indefinite BNP-led transport blockade, and repeated hartals (labour strikes) impacted on people’s security and livelihoods, the report said.
The relatively peaceful and participatory Municipal Elections on December 30, held along party lines for the first time, were a positive development.
A rise in the number of extremist attacks against secularist writers and religious minorities during 2015 increased pressure on free speech, while the draft Foreign Donations Act risks becoming a missed opportunity to improve the regulatory regime for NGOs.
Through its Human Rights and Democracy Programme, the UK provided safety training to bloggers in Bangladesh, and supported a review of the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006 to bring it into line with international standards.