The Roundupthis week opens with a report of yet another targeted assassination in Bangladesh, which pushes the country further into lawlessness and terror. Faisal ArefinDipan, owner of a publishing house, is the latest victim. AHRC TV interviews Md.Ashrafuzzamanabout the killing spree and what is behind it.
Next in this programme, BablooLoitongbam, of Human Rights Alert (Manipur), speaks about IromSharmila’s 15-year-long hunger strike in protest against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Sharmila has been in judicial detention, has been force-fed during her long struggle, and has been accused of attempting to commit suicide, a crime in India.
AHRC TV then turns to Nepal, which has this week undergone its second cycle of Universal Periodic Review, or UPR, in Geneva. Nepal has largely failed to implement the recommendations related to human rights from the first UPR cycle in 2011.
Next, Burma is preparing for historic Parliament elections, which will take place next week. The central issue of the election is whether military rule in Burma can be replaced with a democratic form of government.Next week’s programme will cover the outcome of the elections.
Finally, AHRC TV reports on a brutal attack on student demonstrators in Sri Lanka. Riot Police were called in and the students violently dispersed, despite peacefully demonstrating being their constitutional right. AHRC’s Basil Fernando has penned an open letter in protest.
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