Human Rights Watch urges Bangladesh to respect the rights of protesters

US-based Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to respect the legal and human rights of protesters, and curb abuses by law enforcement agencies acting under emergency rule since January 11.

New York, Aug 25 : US-based Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to respect the legal and human rights of protesters, and curb abuses by law enforcement agencies acting under emergency rule since January 11.

"The Bangladesh Government must respect international human rights standards, as it enforces a curfew and seeks to police demonstrations," the international rights group said in a statement.

The human rights group said that anyone detained under the emergency regulations must be charged with a cognisable criminal offence or released.

Bangladesh has been wracked by four days of demonstrations and violence sparked by an incident at Dhaka University.

The government announced that curfew imposed in six cities will be eased on Saturday for 17 hours, The News reported.

The violent protests took place in defiance of a ban on all demonstrations under the state of emergency declared a day before a military-backed interim government took power after months of unrest over vote-rigging allegations.

"The authorities are trying to silence political protest through arbitrary arrests and restricting freedom of expression," said HRW Asia advocacy director Sophie Richardson.

"The government can take steps to make sure a protest is peaceful, but it must above all respect its human rights obligations when doing so," she added.

ANI