The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) in a communication to Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday said that three unarmed members of the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) were executed by the Bangladesh Army on Wednesday (October 30) through its sponsored vigilantes to distract attention away and change the narrative regarding human rights violations in the trouble-torn Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) region prior to the press conference held by the High Commissioner on 30 October 2024.
In an RRAG press release issued from New Delhi on Thursday, Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG said, “The victims of human rights violations all over the world irrespective of race, colour, religion, nationality or descent etc view the UN High Commissioner’s visit as the only beacon of hope for justice and they look forward to the visit by the High Commissioner.
However, institutions like the Bangladesh Army which act as law unto themselves disgracefully resort to extrajudicial executions to distract attention and change the narrative on pressing human rights issues and unfortunately, reduce a visit by the High Commissioner to Sophie’s choice.
As the execution of Manya Chakma, Kharaksen Tripura and Parantu Chakma under Khagrachari district at 10.30 am on Wednesday were carried out through sponsored vigilantes, the Bangladesh Army can and will claim to be innocent!”
Highlighting the conspiracy and the role of the media in Bangladesh Chakma lamented, “The biased Bangladesh gave prominent coverage to these killings to show that the human rights violations in the CHTs are of the indigenous peoples and not the Bangladesh Government and Bangladesh Army. The prominent newspapers in Dhaka flashed the story of these killings alongside the stories of the High Commissioner’s press conference this morning.
The Bangladeshi press has been known for writing a few lines when indigenous peoples are killed by the illegal plain settlers, no news when killings are carried out by the Bangladesh Army personnel and giving prominence to fratricidal killings of indigenous peoples. Nothing has changed even after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”
Bangladesh has been facing the heat of the international community for the attacks on the indigenous peoples from 19 September to 1 October 2024. The Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights, and a number of international organisations such as Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group International and International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs condemned these killings.
The RRAG also alleged that Bangladesh Army has been using state sponsored mercenaries as part of the State policy in the Chittagong Hill Tracts under the sanction the Chief of Army Staff executed through the General Officer Commanding of the Chittagong Division.
“The latest extrajudicial executions on 30 October 2024 were carried out under the command of the Brigade Commander of Khagrachari district, Brigadier General Mohammad M H Chowdhury and Colonel Abul Hasnat Jewel of Khagrachari cantonment. Both had been previously involved in the extrajudicial executions of Junan Chakma and Rubel Tripura on 19 September 2023 at Khagrachari as well as Bipul Chakma, Liton Chakma, Sunil Bikash Tripura ad Rohin Bikash Tripura under Khagrachari district on 11 December 2023 through hired vigilante groups.” -further Suhas Chakma added.
The RRAG urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk to call upon the Government of Bangladesh to provide access to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the past and present human rights violations in the CHTs including the recent extrajudicial killings by the Bangladesh Army sponsored vigilante groups; order an inquiry with the technical support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into functioning of the vigilante groups in the CHTs with the aim to abolish the ongoing State policy of p arming the vigilante groups in the CHTs; facilitate a country visit by the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination within this year; and prohibit Brigadier General Mohammad M H Chowdhury and Colonel Abul Hasnat Jewel of the Bangladesh Army from deployment with the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions as per the UN Policy on Human Rights Screening of UN Personnel of 2012.
