FM bins US HR report on BD

Foreign Minister (FM) Dr A K Abdul Momen has categorically rejected the US Human Rights (HR) Report, saying the report is not objective, and in many cases it is more applicable to the US rather than Bangladesh.

"Yes, we're rejecting the report. It is not an objective report, and is based on information provided by some Bangladeshi non-government organisations," the minister said while briefing the press at the ministry on Monday.

Commenting on the issue of torture and death in security custody, the minister said these incidents are more frequent in the US than in Bangladesh.

"Many incidents of human rights violations remain unreported in that country. We hear about the Guantanamo Bay (detention camp), and about prisoners' death in Iraqi jails."

The minister said the ministry has sent a letter of protest to the US embassy in Dhaka regarding the report.

Dr Momen claimed that in many aspects Bangladesh's human rights condition is better than many countries of the world.

But he also said Bangladesh would welcome such reports 'which are prepared through vigorous investigation, objective and informative, and not a biased one like this one'.

"Right to get shelter, right to get healthcare and education, right to have food is also part of human rights, and Bangladesh is doing better than many countries in these areas. We are giving shelter to more than one million refugees. But many of these achievements are not highlighted in many reports."

"There are good and bad in all the countries. We also have some cases of deviations like others, but one has to understand we have limitations also", he pointed out.

Dwelling on the issue of the latest attack on Muslims in New Zealand, the foreign minister said Bangladesh is planning to initiate a global campaign for restricting sales of automatic arms to civilians.

"We are also planning to take the issue to the UN," he further said.

The minister said that the government has issued a travel alert for the Bangladeshi citizens who intend to travel to New Zealand.

About the casualties of Bangladeshis in the incident, he said the death of five Bangladeshis have been confirmed so far.

They are former professor of Bangladesh Agriculture University Abdus Samad, Hosne Ara Ahmed, wife of Farid Ahmed from Sylhet, Mozammel Haque from Chandpur, Zakaria Bhuiyan from Narsingdi, and Mohammed Omar Faruk from Narayanganj.

"Of the injured, the condition of Lipi from Kishoreganj is still critical. The other two injured - Mutassim from Gazipur and Sheikh Hasan Rubel - are out of danger."

Prof Samad will be laid to rest in New Zealand. His son will travel there from Bangladesh. Besides, the government of New Zealand will take one close family member of each of the victims to that country, so that they can bring the bodies from there, the minister mentioned.

The government of Bangladesh got information from the NZ government in a delayed manner, so that the exact number of causalities could not be disclosed as quickly as expected, he added.

State minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam, and foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque, were also present in the briefing, among others.