Dhaka, April 28 Alice Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, highlighted the absence of an “A-status” National Human Rights Commission in Bangladesh and a national preventive mechanism against custodial torture, describing violence in the country as deeply embedded, systemic, and enduring, local media reported.
She made the remarks while speaking at a consultation meeting on strengthening prevention and accountability frameworks for torture in Bangladesh, held at the Hotel Holiday Inn in Dhaka.
The event was organised on Monday by Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust, the Association for the Prevention of Torture, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, and Redress.
The Special Rapporteur, currently on a week-long study visit to Bangladesh, said that the country has built a strong “legal scaffolding”, but much of the supporting structure is missing, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported.
However, she said that what is still “missing” is an “A-status” National Human Rights Commission under the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.
She added that preventing torture depends on robust safeguards in police custody.
She said that someone must know a detainee is in custody; the person must have access to a lawyer, medical examinations, and audio-video recordings, and must be brought before a judge speedily. She added that judges are not exempt and have obligations not to ignore torture or send people to overcrowded prisons known for violence, stressing the need for magistrates and judges to be part of the conversation.
She stressed the need for independent bodies to probe instances of custodial torture.
She said that investigations have to be prompt and impartial, meaning they must be at “arm’s length” from the perpetrators. She added that torture is a unique crime, as in ordinary crimes the state acts as the protector of the victim, whereas in cases of torture, the state is the perpetrator. This is why independent bodies are needed for investigation, she said, adding that the police should not be investigating the police.
She added that there is an intimate relationship between corruption, both political and financial, and the abuse of power, noting that torture is at the extreme end of such abuse.
Edwards described the present situation in Bangladesh as a “moment of great opportunity” that will allow for democratic renewal, institutional reform, and the building of a human rights culture embedded everywhere, from the workplace and the home to the streets and institutions.
She said that this period also comes with very high expectations, adding that from her engagement with civil society and survivors, these expectations are growing daily. It is a moment for the government and other actors to grasp this opportunity and maintain momentum, she noted.
--IANS
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