Committed to protecting human rights, no political vendetta: Shama Obaed

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam today (25 August) said the government is committed to ensuring human rights for all citizens and will not allow anyone to be unjustly detained or imprisoned for political reasons, regardless of their political affiliation.

"The government will definitely ensure that no one is unjustly imprisoned or detained due to political vendetta," she said, stressing that the commitment applies to supporters of all political parties, including the opposition and the Awami League, which faces a ban on its activities.

Shama Obaed made the remarks when a journalist drew her attention regarding a recent statement of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Bangladesh authorities should immediately take steps to end the prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the deposed Awami League government, the New York-based rights body said on 23 August.

It said police detained thousands of party officials, activists, and supporters after Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down as prime minister in August 2024 following weeks of protests, and hundreds remain in prison without being charged with any crime.   

Shama Obaed said Bangladesh witnessed unprecedented human rights violations over the past 17 years, with BNP leaders and activists among the worst affected.

"The kind of human rights that have been violated in Bangladesh in the last 17 years has never been violated in the history of Bangladesh," she said.

"The biggest victim is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, its leaders and activists," she added.

Shama Obaed said the government does not want to see a return of what she described as the "fascist era" and wants minimum human rights to be guaranteed to every citizen.

"We will never want the past fascist era to return now or in the future. We want all human rights – minimum human rights – to be ensured to every citizen," she said.

Referring to cases filed following the July-August events in 2024, the state minister said the government has taken a position that allegations must be properly reviewed and that legal action should be based on evidence rather than political considerations.

She said cases have been filed against people accused of killings as well as those responsible for ordering enforced disappearances and murders.

"Many cases were filed with great enthusiasm. But the law ministry said that they would review those cases," Shama Obaed said.

"If they review the cases and do not find any truth in them, if there is no basis, they will take action accordingly," she added.

Shama Obaed said the government's responsibility is to protect citizens' rights and ensure that justice is not used as an instrument of political revenge.

"Our government's stand is that we are trying to protect human rights. We are responsible to the people," she said.

She stressed that the government's human rights commitment should extend to political opponents as well as its own supporters.

"No party – be it the opposition party, Awami League, or any party – the current government will definitely ensure that no one is unjustly imprisoned or detained due to political vendetta," Shama Obaed said.

She said ensuring due process and protecting citizens from arbitrary detention would be essential to preventing a recurrence of past abuses and building public confidence in the country's institutions.

The state minister said Bangladesh's current foreign policy is centred on protecting its own national interests while maintaining respectful and balanced relations with all countries.

"Our foreign policy is first and foremost a 'Bangladesh policy'... with equal rights with everyone and maintaining our own interests with respect," she said.

Shama Obaed expressed confidence that Bangladesh's stronger political mandate would give it greater leverage in negotiations with international partners, including China.

"When Bangladesh is talking, the prime minister of Bangladesh is talking, then all the other stakeholders, including China, are listening to our words with more attention, more seriously," she said.

The state minister said the present circumstances therefore offer Bangladesh a stronger negotiating position than before.

"Now that Bangladesh is an elected government, we have a stronger position in our negotiation space," Shama Obaed added.