The United Nations human rights agency has called on the government to reconsider the decision to not approve the renewal of registration for Odhikar, a human rights organisation in Bangladesh.
The government’s decision follows repeated accusations by the authorities against Odhikar for ‘spreading propaganda’ and “publishing misleading information” about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, a press release from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or OHCHR read on Friday.
The OHCHR urged Bangladesh to ensure that Odhikar has the ability to seek full judicial review of any such determination, reports bdnews24.com.
The UN agency expressed further concerns over this decision potentially having a “chilling effect” on the ability of civil society organisations to report “serious human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms”.
Odhikar has documented and reported on human rights violations in Bangladesh over many years, including to UN Special Procedures mandate holders, human rights treaty bodies and the OHCHR, the statement added.
“Intimidation and reprisals against Odhikar have been documented since as far back as 2013, and appear to have intensified, with accusations levelled against the organisation for “anti-state” and “anti-government” activities.”
“There has been increased surveillance of its activities in recent months. The UN secretary-general has also raised concerns about reprisals against Odhikar over the past decade for cooperating with the UN.”
The press release, delivered by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani, pointed out that Odhikar’s application for renewal of its registration with the NGO Affairs Bureau has been pending since 2014, severely hindering its ability to carry out its work. In 2014, Odhikar’s bank account was also frozen.
“In view of its practical impact on Odhikar’s ability to operate, we call for Odhikar to be permitted access to its banked funds pending reconsideration of the renewal application.”
It mentioned that restrictions to the right of freedom of association which do not respect the principles of necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination contravene international law.
“Bangladesh has the tradition of a strong and diverse civil society. We call on the Government to foster an enabling environment for civil society to undertake their work without fear of reprisals, particularly in the lead up to the next elections.”
“Furthermore, civil society actors must not be deterred from cooperating with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms.”
