The New Nation - Internet Edition

Amnesty International (AI) chief Irene Khan during her recent stay in Bangladesh made some comments on the human rights situation in the country and offered a series of prescriptions on how, in her view, the situation can be improved. In the process she also made some sweeping remarks which attracted the attention of conscious circles.

The chief of the London-based AI, she made critical remarks on the way corruption suspects are being dealt with by the joint forces and recommended the abolition of some laws which, in her view, were violative of human rights in the country.

Irene Khan had just after her arrival for about a fortnight-long stay advised the start of trial of war criminals by the present government and in her concluding press conference the other day called upon the government to seek UN advice to open an independent commission of inquiry into the war crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971.

The AI chief also presented a memorandum of recommendations to the government and political parties. The head of an international human rights organisation, she spoke well, however, with inadequate reference to the efforts being made for ensuring the country’s return to democracy through elections to be held by the end of this year.

The remarks made by her also lacked appreciation of the reasons why the state of emergency was declared in Bangladesh and who were primarily to be blamed for this sad state of affairs.

We believe Ms Khan knows well that lessons on democracy and human rights are well taught also in the country of her residence and in educational institutions of the lone super-power on earth. But they invaded Iraq by resorting to lies and subjected the people of that country to the worst ever human rights abuses that the world has seen since the Second World War.

AI perhaps would get more human interest stories on human rights violations in Afghanistan and Iraq where the average citizens are on neither side of the fight but are suffering at the hands of the occupation forces.

Should not she and her organisation concentrate more on Guantanamo Bay which even US President Bush himself now, at the fag end of his second term in office, has shown some interest in closing down, and on the human rights situation in Iraq and Afghanistan?

The western powers have undermined the importance of Amnesty International and we feel sorry for this. The United States is the worst violator of human rights under the guise of its war against terrorism.