End mass arrests, arbitrary detention
Amnesty International yesterday urged Bangladesh to end mass arrests and arbitrary detention of student leaders and protesters.
In a statement, Smriti Singh, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, made the call responding to reports of the arrest and detention of student leaders, protest participants, and members of opposition parties following the quota-reform protests, with over 9,000 arrests over the weekend in Bangladesh.
"The mass arrest and arbitrary detention of student protesters is a witch- hunt by the authorities to silence anyone who dares to challenge the government and is a tool to further perpetuate a climate of fear. Reports suggest that these arrests are entirely politically motivated, in retaliation for the exercise of human rights. It is essential that the Bangladeshi authorities respect people's rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," reads the statement.
"The authorities must ensure that any arrests comply with due process safeguards and are fully in accordance with international human rights law and standards, including but not limited to the right to a free and fair trial, the right to be informed of the reasons for arrest and the place of detention, and the right to be brought promptly before a judge, and to have access both to legal counsel and to their family.
"The authorities should ensure that peaceful activists are not prosecuted on trumped-up charges as punishment for participating in protests. Peaceful protest is not a crime, and this witch-hunt must end," said the rights body.
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