প্রকাশ: 14/10/2023
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.”
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