Odhikar has released this six-monthly human rights monitoring report from January to June 2016, despite facing persecution and continuous harassment and threats to its existence. The human rights situation in Bangladesh has become catastrophic. Hindrances to freedom of expression and repression of the ordinary people and leaders and activists of the opposition political parties continue. Human rights defenders have repeatedly cautioned about the possibility of rising extremism in Bangladesh. Despite this, the government continues acts of suppression. During this time, allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture and shooting in the limbs were made against the government by victims; and a mass arrest operation was conducted in the name of curbing ‘extremists’. For example, in June 2016, over 15000 people were arbitrarily detained as part of the ongoing spree of arrests en masse. As a result of this, ordinary people were arrested, even pedestrians and children; and the prisons were overcrowded with inmates. During the same period, 22 people were extra-judicially killed. In this current alarming scenario, human rights violations have been perpetrated against every class of citizen, regardless of religion, gender or profession.
human-rights-monitoring-monthly-report-six-month-2016 (full text in English, PDF)
