PDF file Available here Human Rights Situation in Bangladesh 2019

HRSS publishes Human Rights Situation Analysis Report
regularly, based on data collected from prominent
national dailies and fact-finding reports prepared by
country-wide representatives

The January’19 to December’19 Annual human rights monitoring report describes the human rights situation in Bangladesh, specifically describing the following issues:
According to the sources of HRSS, at least 396 people have
been killed extra-judicially in 2019. Of them, 357 people were
killed in the name of ‘crossfire/gunfights’, 16 tortured to death, 01
shot to death and 22 were died in the custody. The deaths
occurred during raids and operations conducted by the law-enforcement
agencies (LEAs). As in past cases, the government
describes these deaths as “crossfire/gunfights/infights” and so on.
On the other hand, a total of 23 persons have been ‘disappeared’
by the law enforcement agencies in different incidents.

Moreover, the report finds that in 2019, a total of 1429
females were raped. Among them, 595 victims were adult
whereas alarmingly 834 were children under the age of 16. It’s a
rising concern in the incidence of raping crime that among
victims at least 195 have been gang-raped. Among the victims,
at least 58 were brutally killed after being raped. In 2019, about
150 women were killed in the family feud related violence. In the
meantime, 54 were killed and 2 female committed suicide for
dowry related violence. A total of 241 girls and women were
reportedly victims of sexual harassment and 27 females were
injured in acid violence between January and December 2019. It
is also alarming that in a total of 112 violent incidents against
children in 2019, 56 lost their lives and 157 were critically
injured.
It has been reported by HRSS that in 2019, a Journalist was
killed, 51 injured, whereas nearly 33 threatened, 17 arrested and
7 were assaulted. Meanwhile, 45 people were arrested and 49
cases filed under digital security act 2018. HRSS has also
observed the incidents of attacks on minorities in 2019, where
11 people were injured, 4 victims of land grabbing and 38
temples were attacked in a total of 30 incidents. Moreover, at
least 49 people were killed and 2863 people were injured in
political violence, whereas around 73 people were killed in
public lynching.
On the other hand, due to the silence of the Government
combined with its submissive foreign policy, border killings have
increased. Bangladeshi citizens have become victims of border
killings, torture, and other forms of inhumane treatments. It has
been reported that, 42 Bangladeshi citizens were killed by the
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and 02 other were killed by
Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) in a total of 78 incidents. It
has also been reported that 156 were killed in a violent attack on
unarmed civilians in 2019. On the other hand, 930 people were
injured, 83 were bullet hit and 23 people were tortured by law
Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).
HRSS is deeply concerned about the degradation of the human
rights condition in the country. It urges all human rights
organizations as well as common citizens to raise their voice to
protect and promote human rights in Bangladesh.