Mahdi Amin says 'no politically motivated human rights violations in last 7 months', TIB disagrees

Prime Minister's Education and Primary and Mass Education Adviser Mahdi Amin has claimed that Bangladesh has witnessed no politically motivated human rights violations over the past seven months.

However, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman disagreed, saying the organisation's data paints a different picture.

The contrasting statements came at a discussion titled "Democracy, Human Rights and Accountable Governance" at TIB's Dhanmondi office today (15 September), marking International Day of Democracy.

According to TIB, the period saw 52 incidents of harassment over freedom of expression, 58 arrests, 51 cases of custodial torture, seven deaths in law enforcement custody and one enforced disappearance.

Speaking at the discussion, Mahdi Amin said the BNP government had ensured unprecedented freedom of expression and human rights over the past seven months.

"There are some limitations. It is difficult to uproot 17 years of fascist debris all at once," he said.

He said there had not been a single instance of human rights violation in the conduct of state affairs over the past seven months.

"There have been no enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings or custodial deaths with state backing anywhere. The state has not deprived opposition parties or people with different views or ideologies of their values," he said.

Mahdi Amin said "the highest level of freedom of expression in history" had been ensured.

"Although there have been instances of indecent and abusive behaviour in some places, we have so far seen the highest level of tolerance and coexistence. This was also the aspiration of the July mass uprising," he said.

He said the people are the source of power.

"The BNP government has representation and support from people of all views, classes and professions. Bangladesh had long suffered from a democratic deficit and fascism had been established because a government that did not derive its power from the people had clung to power," he said.

According to him, the previous government derived its power from the state machinery, various forces, the judiciary, a subservient foreign policy and the administration.

A government elected through a free and fair election can establish a democratic state system, he said.

Responding to Mahdi Amin's remarks, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the adviser had claimed that not a single human rights violation had taken place, but TIB's data did not support that claim.

"Unfortunately, the data tells a different story," he said.

He said there had been at least 52 incidents of different forms of harassment over the exercise of freedom of expression.

During the period, 58 people were arrested, most of them under the Anti-Terrorism Act, he said.

"Arresting people under the Anti-Terrorism Act for exercising freedom of expression was not expected in post-2024 Bangladesh," he said.

Saying there were valid reasons why the law and order situation had not yet returned to normal, Iftekharuzzaman said the police had yet to recover ethically.

"Even so, several issues are concerning us," he said.

He said there had been more than 1,700 incidents of violence against women and girls, including 503 rape cases.

He also said there should have been no custodial torture, but 51 such incidents were recorded during the period.

Seven people died at the hands of law enforcement agencies, while one enforced disappearance involving a law enforcement agency was also reported, he said.

Mahdi Amin later reiterated that, to his knowledge, there had been no politically motivated human rights violations.

"Previously, lists used to be prepared from a particular office, the highest office of the state, and then handed over. There was direct intervention from the highest level of the state," he said.

He said isolated mistakes or undesirable incidents within the vast state structure were being brought under accountability.

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal Barishal district committee member secretary and women's leader Dr Manisha Chakraborty and former NCP leader Dr Tasnim Zara, among others, attended the event.