(Hong Kong, February 19, 2009) Member of Parliament, Mr. Saber Hossain Chowdhury has filed a notice yesterday to the parliament, proposing a Private Member Bill to incorporate the United Nations Convention against Torture into the law of Bangladesh.
This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh that such legislation is proposed. Speaking about his move, Chowdhury explained the need of such a law, given the ruthless practices of illegal arrest and detention; torture and extra-judicial killings practiced in the country.
“Bangladesh must legislate urgently in order to criminalise custodial torture and deaths and to avoid the repetition of serious human rights violations – a sad and unacceptable feature of our past”, said Chowdhury. Chowdhury is a Member of Parliament (MP) from Dhaka city.
Chowdhury is the Organising Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League and a former Political Secretary of Mrs. Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Awami League formed the current government after securing 262 seats out of the total 300 seats in the parliament. The elections were held in the December 2008. The new government has promised to usher-in an era of rule of law and protection of human rights.
Prior to the December elections, there was a long period in Bangladesh, where large number of extrajudicial killings, torture and abuses of human rights were reported from the country. Chowdhury, is a victim of repeated detentions and torture during the period of the previous government. Chowdhury was recognised as a ‘prisoner of conscience’ by the Amnesty International. He is of the view that legislation is a must to ensure rule of law in the country. The legislation is expected to protect the common people from abuses and prevent the recurrence of human rights violations.
Chowdhury has submitted the Bill in the parliament for preventing torture and custodial deaths in Bangladesh. The Bill is in itself historic, as this is the first time ever that a law to criminalise torture and custodial deaths is under consideration in the country.
Bangladesh signed and ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) in October 1998. Interestingly, this was during the first term of Mrs. Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Under the CAT, Bangladesh is obliged to have a domestic legislation in conformity with the CAT. The CAT requires a state party to ciminalise torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The proposed Bill is expected to provide a justiciable remedy to the victims of torture.
Chowdhury is hopeful that the Bill will receive wide domestic support irrespective of political allegiances and that the Bill will soon become a law in the country. Chowdhury also expects support for the Bill from national and international human rights movement.
“This is a very important and historical move that could contribute to resolving some of the most difficult problems of human rights violations in Bangladesh. The Asian Human Rights Commission supports this move wholeheartedly and call upon others to do so”, said Mr. Basil Fernando, the Director of AHRC
The proposed Bill in Bangla and English can be viewed at:
English: http://bangladesh.ahrchk.net/docs/TortureandCustodialDeathBill2009.pdf
Bangla: http://bangladesh.ahrchk.net/docs/TortureandCustodialDeathBill2009-Bangla.pdf
