Joint written statement to the 35th session of the UN HRC by OMCT and Odhikar, BANGLADESH: Freedoms of Expression, Assembly and Association Are Under Serious Threat

The current human rights situation in Bangladesh is catastrophic due to an absence of democracy and a lack of functional institutions, which have been aggravated by an increasingly repressive political context. The rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are constantly violated while human rights defenders (HRDs) are facing systematic persecution under the present authoritarian regime. Gross human rights violations as well as the promulgation of draconian laws against HRDs, teachers, bloggers, journalists and online activists, are widespread. Suppression of dissenting voices has become a regular practice due to a culture of impunity, lack of accountability and dysfunctional justice delivery mechanisms.
Joint-written-statement-Odhikar_OMCT (full text in English, PDF)