The President of Bangladesh imposed the State of Emergency back in 11 January 2007, were that the security and economic life of Bangladesh was threatened by internal disturbances. 21 months on, the ‘internal disturbances’, which were stated as the reason for the proclamation of Emergency, no longer exist. The State of Emergency, as has been enforced in Bangladesh, essentially encroaches upon the space that the people need to make such choices. Odhikar strongly believes that the State of Emergency should be lifted in its entirety and on the whole territory of Bangladesh in order to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections.
This report covers the following topics:
- Elections under emergency cannot be fair, credible and legitimate
- Human Rights Commission won’t safeguard human rights
- ‘Right to information law’ not to ensure the right to know
- Right to life
- Workers rights flouted with impunity
- Extrajudicial killings continue with impunity
- No respite from corruption
The report closes with statistics and 5 recommendations to the government.
State of Emergency Report 21 months-2008 (full text in English, PDF)
