Human Rights record of Bangladesh is poor: US

Dhaka, Mar 7 (UNI) The US has said Human Rights record of Bangladesh remained poor because of numerous serious abuses like extra-judicial killing, arbitrary arrest and detention and politically-motivated violence.

The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2006, released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour in Washington todaym, carried these observations about the status of Bangladesh on the Human Rights score.

It alleged security forces acted with impunity, and committed acts of physical and psychological torture. In addition, violence against journalists continued, as did infringement on religious freedoms, the report added.

The report on the situation in the bygone year, says government corruption remained a significant problem. Violence against women and children was also a major problem, as was human trafficking.

''Security forces committed numerous extrajudicial killings. The police, BDR and RAB used unwarranted lethal force,'' said the US Human Rights watchdog.

The report said the law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention.

However, authorities ''frequently violated'' these provisions, even in non-preventive detention cases.

It noted that the law specifically allows preventive detention, with specified safeguards, and provides for detention of individuals on suspicion of criminal activity without an order from a magistrate or a warrant.

''The government arrested and detained persons arbitrarily and used national security legislation such as the 1974 Special Powers Act to detain citizens without filing formal charges or specific complaints,'' it said.

The report noted police were generally ineffective, reluctant to investigate persons affiliated with the ruling party, and used frequently for political purposes by the government.

The US Human Rights bureau billed RAB as a better-equipped paramilitary unit drawing personnel from various police units and security agencies, but alleged that the elite force committed serious human rights violations.

There was widespread police corruption and a severe lack of training and discipline. The police often acted outside the law, said the report.

Victims of police abuse were reluctant to file cases against it, as there was no independent body charged with investigation of criminal allegations against the police force.

The report also said although the government was secular, religion has influenced politics.

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