The Place of business of the United Countries Top Commissioner for Human Rights and 11 world and regional rights organisations have demanded that the federal government should instantly cancel its determination to deregister rights organisation Odhikar and make allowance the rights organisation to serve as with out worry of reprisal.
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Top Commissioner for Human Rights, stated in a press briefing in Geneva remark on Friday, ‘We’re involved via the Executive of Bangladesh’s determination to not approve the renewal of registration for Odhikar, a outstanding and revered human rights organisation within the nation’.
She stated, ‘We urge the federal government to instantly rethink this determination, and to make certain that Odhikar has the facility to hunt complete judicial assessment of this type of choice. We’re additional involved that this determination may have a chilling impact at the talent of civil society organisations to record severe human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms.’
Odhikar has documented and reported on rights violations for a few years to the Place of business of the UN Top Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Particular Procedures mandate holders and human rights treaty our bodies, she discussed within the briefing to be had at the web site of the UN frame.
Intimidation and reprisals opposed to Odhikar were documented since 2013, and seem to have intensified, with accusations of ‘anti-state’ and ‘anti-government’ actions, she added.
‘There was greater surveillance of its actions in contemporary months. The UN Secretary-Normal has additionally raised issues about reprisals opposed to Odhikar over the last decade for cooperating with the UN,’ she stated.
On June 5, 2022, the bureau despatched a letter to Odhikar, denying its software for renewal of registration. Odhikar’s software for renewal of its registration with the NGO Affairs Bureau underneath the Top Minister’s Place of business has been pending since 2014, she stated, including that Odhikar’s checking account was once additionally frozen in 2014. ‘We name for Odhikar to be authorised get right of entry to to its banked budget pending reconsideration of the renewal software,’ stated the UN respectable.
11 world and regional human rights organisations, in the meantime, in a joint remark known as at the authorities to instantly opposite the verdict to deregister Odhikar.
‘Human rights defenders will have to be allowed to habits their paintings with out worry of reprisals, intimidation, and harassment from the government,’ learn the remark issued via Human Rights Watch, Amnesty World, Anti-Dying Penalty Asia Community, Asian Federation In opposition to Involuntary Disappearances, Capital Punishment Justice Undertaking, Elios Justice at Monash College, Human Rights First, World Coalition In opposition to Enforced Disappearance, World Federation for Human Rights, inside the framework of the Observatory for the Coverage of Human Rights Defenders, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights and Global Organisation In opposition to Torture. {See additionally: https://humanrightsdefenders.weblog/2022/03/17/un-experts-urge-bangladesh-to-end-reprisals-against-human-rights-defenders/]
The rights organisation within the remark stated this newest construction seemed to be a part of a trend of reprisals via the federal government opposed to human rights organisations teams and defenders following america sanctions opposed to the Speedy Motion Battalion on December 10, 2021. [See https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2022/03/21/bangladesh-sanctions-seem-to-work/]
On 14 June 2022 Discussion board Asia in a robust remark stated: FORUM-ASIA expresses its harmony with Odhikar and calls at the Bangladeshi government to instantly recall the verdict of rejecting Odhikar’s renewal software thereby making sure it to hold on their human rights paintings. FORUM-ASIA reiterates its previous name to repeal the International Donation (Voluntary Actions) Legislation Act, 2016 because it imposes restrictions on civil society organisations’ talent to get right of entry to assets.
The similar day, the Asian Human Rights Fee (AHRC) and CIVICUS: Global Alliance for Citizen Participation stated they “are extraordinarily alarmed via the verdict of the federal government to arbitrarily revoke the registration of Odhikar, a number one human rights organisation in Bangladesh. This transfer is some other blow to civil society and human rights defenders who’ve been dealing with systematic repression via the Sheikh Hasina regime.“
http://www.humanrights.asia/reviews/AHRC-ETC-004-2022/
https://www.newagebd.internet/article/172898/un-11-intl-orgs-slam-odhikar-deregistration
Tags: AHRC, Bangladesh, CIVICUS, Discussion board Asia, freedom of affiliation, investment restrictions, NGOs, Odhikar, Place of business of the Top Commissioner for Human Rights, registration, reprisals
