A recent resolution in the European Parliament on the Human
Rights situation in Bangladesh has been roundly condemned at a conference - in
the European Parliament itself.
Speaking to EU Today exclusively after the event, German
MEP Maximillian Krah, when asked about his impressions of the European
Parliament resolution stated: “I was against it, because in general I’m
really sceptical against these resolutions because first of all they come very
urgently and presently from the NGO bubble.
“They usually care about cases which are not
double-checked and then I try at least to double-check them. So, I give the
embassies the chance to give their arguments and I google it on all sides and
usually I don’t think that these cases are convincing.
“The same is true about Bangladesh. The case was not
convincing because an NGO activist made a wrong statement on police violence
and there was a risk that this would cause a real upspring or riot and such
misinformation is punishable in Europe as well. So, we blame the Bangladeshis
to prosecute the behaviour that we in Europe would prosecute too and that is
not at all convincing.”
Fake NGOs, which frequently issue human rights reports, are
often commissioned by dubious actors seeking to subvert the legislative
process.
They are sometimes, as in the recent Qatargate scandal,
linked with organised criminal activities, but most often are commissioned by
foreign actors seeking to influence the EU’s foreign policy.. This is a
phenomenon the EU institutions are currently seeking to address.
When asked for his own recommendations on how to deal
with the matter, Mr. Krah said “The first thing of course is to act
more proactively when it comes to disinformation, but in general you have to
focus on the whole structure of this NGO power.
“There is a huge human rights industry that is also a
powerful tool to promote Western foreign policy interests throughout the world.
That means that you have to be aware that human rights issues are emotional
issues and that there are wonderful NGOs that are dedicated to it, but you also
have to be aware that this is now the most powerful tool of the West to push
its foreign policy agenda in the whole world.
“To focus on the human rights alone and then demand
changes based on the special experiences of the Global South, we risk double
standards: We must look into regulating these international and national NGO
structures because we will invite foreign influence in our domestic politics if
we don’t.”
When asked if he thought the European Parliament’s resolution
would have a negative impact on trade relations with Bangladesh, – the EU is
now Bangladesh’s main trading partner – he said “We are doing
everything we can to bring trade relations to the next higher level. In
the case of Bangladesh, I consider the case for this so clear that at the very
end this resolution, which has no legislative power whatsoever, will not be a
threat we cannot overcome.”
Also addressing the European Parliament conference
was Dr. Rayhan Rashid (DPhil, Oxford University) Legal Consultant at
Oxford Matrix.
Dr. Rashid was equally dismissive of the resolution,
describing it as “largely misinformed.”
He continued, “It was well-meaning. Of
course, the parliamentarians meant well after they heard a story about human
rights abuses. I can fully understand that they were sensitised, but they were
not fully informed about the whole picture”.
When asked how this could happen, Dr. Rashid told us: “This
whole case was misrepresented. The reason the case started is because of the
Hefazat-e-Islam incident in 2013.
“The country was on the verge of a Talibanist militant
uprising and Hefazat was their party, meaning that they were moving into
important spheres. Therefore, there was a crackdown on this, but it was open,
and in the presence of some national and international journalists, including
the BBC. The police crackdown wanted to disperse this kind of Islamist
militants in the presence of media.
“The next day, Odhikar (a a Bangladesh-based
human rights organisation) came up with a story that 63 people were
prosecuted. Hefazat (a far-right Islamic advocacy group of madrassah
teachers and students) even came up with bigger numbers, such as 20,000
people. Based on Hefazat’s version, Odhikar said that 63 people had disappeared
because of the crackdown.
Personally, I’m a human rights activist. Everyone was
concerned and asking questions and after a few days, we saw that actually most
of the people claimed to have been disappeared, actually turned up. So, at the
beginning at the height of things, I can understand this. Media or human rights
organisations have scoops but with all the occurring corrections, they didn’t
reject their claims.”
We asked Dr. Rashid if Odhikar made any particular
demands on the government?
“When they came up with this scoop, they asked for an
investigation, because in a country, even with an Islamic uprising or attempt
of uprising, 63 people disappearing is not acceptable.
“That was the situation. Everyone asked for an
investigation, including myself. But then it was debunked. The problem with
Odhikar was that they didn’t correct their story which they then repeated
international media and among other friendly human rights organisations. And
those organisations don’t have an office in Bangladesh, they don’t have an
active investigative mechanism within Bangladesh, they have to rely on
Odhikar’s version. So, that’s how Odhikar’s story got recycled over and over
again.”
When asked if there is any evidence linking Odhikar
to the Taliban, Dr. Rashid replied:
“No, I wouldn’t say that for Odhikar. I think it was more
about Odhikar’s Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan. He was a human rights activist,
but he was also an attorney general during the BNP regime. I don’t know what is
going on in his mind or within his organisation or whether there was a
political motivation.”
We asked Dr. Rashid to elucidate what Hefazat’s goal was
back in 2013?
They raised 13 demands, he explained:
So, we asked, “what, if any, is the connection
between this NGO and Hefazat?”
“In 2013, this Islamist terrorist group had huge support
base coming from madrasas (Islamic schools) and they actually took to the
streets demanding an Islamic State, a Taliban-style Islamic State. And their
demands were exactly like the Taliban’s decrees. About women, about education,
about everything. They were just a carbon-copy.
“Unfortunately, they had a lot of support from other
Islamic clerics, who also took to the streets and basically the country was on
the verge of a shutdown. At that time, the government dispersed these groups in
the presence of media. But then after the dispersal, suddenly we started
hearing about 20,000 people disappearing, but then it was not 20,000 but
63. Odhikar claimed that 63 persons had disappeared.
“Odhikar is a human rights organization led by a person
who used to be an attorney general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
regime so maybe there could be a political motivation. But I cannot get into
his mind and know what is going on and I actually appreciated when they first
they came up with that story. And I thought that if this is real, it should be
addressed. But I was also disappointed that this story about the 63
disappearing people was debunked and a lot of them turned up.”
“What do you recommend the European Parliament should
do to prevent such disinformation campaigns in the future?”
“Just to do their own homework. Each parliamentarian has
their aides, a whole team of researchers. I think that they are far-better
equipped than anybody else. They are not ordinary people; they can actually
crosscheck. It is always better to hear the other side or hear across the
board.
“Just pick up different people and listen to different
stories and then make up your own mind. I thought their position was poorly
researched and very misinformed and that’s not helpful for the cause of human
rights or not helpful for the relations or anything.”
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.
The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified "support" to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.
"The Huthis' now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response," the statement said.
Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported "a series of raids on the capital Sanaa," while AFP correspondents in the rebel-controlled city in western Yemen said they heard several loud bangs.
"The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.
"We will continue to make clear to the Huthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries."
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was defiant, vowing in a social media statement that the rebels would "confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas."
The UK Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s targeted "several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions," on Saturday, at a site north-east of Sanaa.
Saturday's operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit Sunday and began taking on water.
Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out unilateral strikes against Huthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, and downed dozens of missiles and drones in the Red Sea.
- Anti-ship missile downed -
Earlier on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an American Navy ship had shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile "launched into the Gulf of Aden from Iranian-backed Huthi controlled areas of Yemen."
The missile "was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker," CENTCOM said on X, formerly Twitter.
US forces on Friday also shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on land, CENTCOM said.
The Huthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.
Following previous US and UK strikes, the Huthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
The Huthis will "persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties towards the Palestinian people, and their military operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," military spokesman Saree said.
Anger over Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza -- which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 -- has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Comment
Israel launched air strikes Thursday on southern Gaza's Rafah after threatening to send troops into the city, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter from around the territory.
Global powers trying to navigate a way to end the Israel-Hamas war have so far come up short, but a US envoy was expected in Israel on Thursday to try to secure a truce deal.
International concern has spiralled over the high civilian death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.
More than four months of relentless fighting and air strikes have flattened much of the Hamas-run coastal territory, pushing its population of around 2.4 million to the brink of famine, according to the UN.
International concern has in recent weeks centred on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes elsewhere in the territory are now living in crowded shelters and makeshift tents.
The last city untouched by Israeli ground troops, Rafah also serves as the main entry point via neighbouring Egypt for desperately needed relief supplies.
Israel has warned it will expand its ground operations into Rafah if Hamas does not free the remaining hostages held in Gaza by next month's start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.
- 'My daughter' -
The war started when Hamas launched its attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages -- 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 29,313 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz said Israel's operation in Rafah would begin "after the evacuation of the population", although his government has not offered any details on where civilians would be evacuated to.
In the early hours of Thursday, AFP reporters heard multiple air strikes on Rafah, particularly in the Al-Shaboura neighbourhood.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said early Thursday that 99 people had been killed around Gaza during the night, most of them women, children and elderly people.
Abdel Rahman Mohamed Jumaa said he lost his family in recent strikes on Rafah.
"I found my wife lying in the street," he told AFP. "Then I saw a man carrying a girl and I ran towards him and.... picked her up, realising she was really my daughter."
He was holding a small shrouded corpse in his arms.
- 'Possibility of progress' -
Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, was expected to arrive in Israel Thursday -- his second stop in the region after Egypt as part of US efforts to advance a hostage deal and broker a truce.
Hamas's chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo for talks as well, according to the group.
Israel's Gantz said there were efforts to "promote a new plan for the return of the hostages".
"We are seeing the first signs that indicate the possibility of progress in this direction."
Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, said Washington was hoping for an "agreement that secures a temporary ceasefire where we can get the hostages out and get humanitarian assistance", but declined to give details on ongoing negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the remaining hostages.
Israel's parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a proposal by Netanyahu to oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote came days after the Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden's administration and a small group of Arab nations were working out a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
It included a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the report said.
Separately, a report by an Israeli group that fights sexual violence said Hamas's October 7 attack also involved systematic sexual assaults on civilians, based on witness testimonies, public and classified information, and interviews.
The report came the same week UN rights experts called for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls -- which Israel rejected as "despicable and unfounded claims".
Israeli officials have repeatedly alleged the militants committed violent sexual assaults during the attack -- something Hamas has denied.
- 'Waiting for death' -
Combat and chaos have stalled sporadic aid deliveries for civilians in Gaza, while in Khan Yunis -- a city just north of Rafah -- medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an Israeli tank had fired on a house sheltering their employees and families.
Two relatives of MSF staff were killed and six others injured, it said, condemning the strike in the "strongest possible terms".
When contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli army said its forces had "fired at a building that was identified as a building where terror activity is occurring", adding that it "regrets" harm to civilians.
In the same town, the Palestinian Red Crescent said another hospital was also hit by "artillery shelling".
Israel has repeatedly said Hamas militants use civilian infrastructure including hospitals as operational bases -- claims that Hamas has denied.
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies.
"We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
The meeting was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the conference venue, here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting upon its completion.
The Foreign Minister said the Bangladesh Premier and Jaishankar attached importance to doing business between the two friendly countries through their own currencies to reduce dependency on other currencies like the US dollar.
He said Bangladesh and India have excellent bilateral relations and it has elevated to another height under the leadership of the prime ministers of the two countries.
"The relations between the countries are getting stronger day by day," he said, adding that the two leaders discussed the issues during the meeting.
Quoting Jaishankar, Hasan said, "Our relations will further be closer in the days ahead."
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.
The meeting between the two leaders was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Hasan also said that they also discussed how the attacks on innocent men and women in Gaza can be stopped.
The Premier reminded all that war can't bring wellbeing for any one.
"Others can be benefitted from the war. But the war cannot bring welfare for the countries involved in war and their people have to be affected by the war," said Sheikh Hasina.
In this connection, the Prime Minister recollected her memories about the sufferings of the countrymen and she herself faced during the Great War of Liberation in 1971.
She recalled her inhuman sufferings and the birth of her only son Sajeeb Wazed Joy under the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces during the War.
"Bangladesh's foreign policy - 'Friendship to all, malice to none’ - prominently came up in the discussion between Prime Minister and Zelenskyy," the foreign minister said.
Replying to a query, Hasan said the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia which got foundation during the Liberation war , will not hamper at all.
"Our relationship with Russia is very wonderful. Russia stood beside us during the Liberation War and played a pivotal role in rebuilding Bangladesh after the war," he said.
He said they only discussed how to stop the war.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels. The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies. "We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.