On the auspicious occasion of International Human Rights Day, we express our firm determination to stand by the tortured, repressed and exploited people of the world and stand for justice, human rights and freedom.
The chosen theme for the 2023 celebrations is “Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All.” This year marks the 75th anniversary of this landmark document that set forth the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being, regardless of race, colour, religion, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.
Rebirth often follows decimation. And so, in the aftermath of World War II on December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But, the human right has now become a tool of business for some countries as they are trying to suppress some countries in the name of human rights.
Innocent people are being killed through petrol-bomb attacks but those who always issue statements on so-called human rights violation, remain silent on that issue in our country. On the other hand, grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, have pointed to a genocide in the making.
About 70% of the almost 17,500 people killed in Gaza since October 7 are said to be women and children. As many as 46,000 people have suffered injuries in Israeli attacks.
Human rights are
still extremely being
violated in different
countries of the world
Imposing a ban on others by the USA is one-sided and ineffective as human rights are still extremely being violated in different countries. In Bangladesh, the biggest violation of human rights occurred on August 15, 1975 through the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members.
Some westeren countries regularly tell us to improve our human rights situation, while it’s them, who have been providing shelter to the killers of Sheikh Mujib and the martyred intellectuals. The human rights are violated extremely in those countries, which are asking about the issue.
We want to pose a question why the intellectuals, civil society members and foreign countries do not raise their voices against BNP’s atrocities before the world? We think it is their moral obligation to raise voices against any kind of violation that goes against humanity if they really want to nurture human rights.
We wonder when we see these foreign countries and some people who claim themselves intellectuals and civil society have become vocal in favour of some terrorists as well but they do not raise voices against the terrorists who are killing people. After the assassination of Bangabandhu, an indemnity ordinance was issued under military dictator Ziaur Rahman’s leadership and it was later turned into an Act to stop the path to bring the killers to justice.
However, these foreign countries, intellectuals and civil society members were silent. We also witnessed another violation of human rights taken place in 1977 when army and air force officers were killed without any trial and even verdict of death sentence came after the execution of death penalty by hanging officers.
Later, ghastly grenade attacks were launched on anti-terrorism rally of the then opposition party Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21 in 2004. We also saw how innocent people were killed in petrol-bomb attacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015. These incidents were examples of extreme violations of human rights. Today, the world community should come up with commitment and infuse trust and confidence among people around the globe to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedom of all people.