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, as a part of its diverse activities. It’s dedicated to upholding human rights for people through building awareness about human rights violations as well as monitoring and publishing the current situation of human rights in Bangladesh, helping the destitute, conducting advocacy with the government and other concerned authorities from home and abroad. HRSS also encourages the common people to be involved in various activities for protection of human rights. As part of this initiative, HRSS is going to publish annual report from January to December 2019. The report shows that the overall human rights condition is as dismal as it was in 2018. Political and civil society space continues to be curtailed. Security forces continue to enjoy impunity in cases of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests. Violence against women, in particular, gang rape and child rape are on the rise. Consequently, the state has not been able to ensure peace, justice and security to its citizens.

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 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.