BD Law Minister pledges to enhance implementation of human rights

Law Minister pledges to enhance implementation of human rights treaties as a homage to the memory of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.“You can count on having a credible, willing and engaged partner, working at enhanced compliance with its Human Rights Treaty obligations.

We reiterate this solemn pledge as a homage to the memory of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as we prepare to celebrate his birth centenary next year”, said the Honourable Law Minister, Anisul Huq, MP to the members of the Committee against Torture during the concluding session of the 2-day long review of Bangladesh’s ‘initial report’ on the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT) held at the UN Office in Geneva.

“It has at times been a struggle for our State to adhere to its convictions in the face of fabricated narratives propagated by certain influential quarters at the international level”, he added.

The Minister also said that, “Our unrelenting pursuit of sustainable development, our abiding commitment to democracy and the rule of law, our uncompromising stand against terrorism, organized crimes and corruption, and our faith in investing in our future generation has helped us stay on track and defy all naysayers time and again.”

The Vice-Chair for Bangladesh review at the Committee against Torture, Mrs. F Gaer appreciated Bangladesh the extensive accounting of cases and statistics as presented by the Honourable Minister in his speech.

The Committee recalled the horrific violence and abuse during the 1971 war of liberation. Mrs. Gaer observed that “despite the commission of genocide and other atrocities of huge proportions, we have seen Bangladesh emerge as a country committed to protect its people from torture.”

Prior to his closing remarks, Law Minister responded to the queries raised by the members of the Committee against Torture. He clarified the Committee about Bangladesh’s position on various issues under UNCAT, including legal aspects of torture, pre-trial and preventive detention, condition in prison and its reform, safeguards in interrogation procedure, independence of judiciary, death penalty, protection of religious and ethnic minorities, violence against women and children and protection mechanisms.

The Chair of the Committee thanked the Government of Bangladesh for its participation as well as for providing open and candid responses to their queries. He further hoped that Bangladesh would remain committed in ensuring full implementation of the provisions of the Convention.

Law Minister also thanked the Committee for its constructiveengagement with the Government of Bangladesh since the inception of this review process. He proudly shared the vision ofPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina for building a resilient, inclusive, just and prosperous Bangladesh. He reaffirmed the Government’s unswerving commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights for all, including fulfilling the relevant international obligations.

In his concluding remarks, the Minister said that we have embarked on commensurate actions which can be further built on as we remain mindful of the continued relevance of certain legal tools and administrative mechanisms in our socio-political context.

Before concluding, he expressed gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her guidance and motivation to engage with this Committee. In her vision for a resilient, inclusive and prosperous Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has never shied away from embracing the international obligations that correspond to the legitimate demands and aspirations of our people, he added.

Law Minister led a 19-member Bangladesh delegation which included State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP and senior officials from different Ministries, Departmentsand agencies of the Government.

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