Bangladesh seeks UN support to combat misinformation ahead of Feb 12 polls

Dhaka (Bangladesh), January 14 : Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, on Tuesday sought support from the United Nations human rights office to counter a surge of misinformation targeting the February 12 elections.

The X account of the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh flagged the flooding of misinformation surrounding the elections.

"There has been a flood of misinformation surrounding the elections. It is coming from both foreign media and local sources," Yunus said during a phone conversation with Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

https://x.com/ChiefAdviserGoB/status/2011115652627808762

"They have flooded social media with fake news, rumours and speculation. We are concerned about the impact this may have on the elections," the Chief Adviser added. High Commissioner Turk said he was aware of the problem and offered the support of the UN human rights office to address what he described as a growing misinformation challenge, as per the X post.

"There is a lot of misinformation. We will do whatever is needed," Turk said, adding that the UN rights agency would work closely with Bangladesh to tackle the issue.

During the conversation, the two leaders also discussed the upcoming referendum, the importance of institutional reforms, the work of the Enforced Disappearance Commission, the formation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the global geopolitical situation.

High Commissioner Turk stressed the importance of establishing "a truly independent" National Human Rights Commission to carry forward the work related to enforced disappearances.

In response, Yunus said the NHRC ordinance has already been promulgated and that a new commission would be reconstituted ahead of the February 12 elections.

"We will do it before we leave," he said. The Chief Adviser said he had shared the final report of the Enforced Disappearance Commission with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, describing it as a crucial document that would go a long way toward ensuring accountability and justice for the victims of enforced disappearances during the autocratic regime from 2009 to 2024.

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