Take steps to renew commitment to democracy and human rights: UN rights chief to Bangladesh government
On Monday, January 8, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk urged Bangladesh's recently elected government to move quickly to rekindle the nation's commitment to democracy and human rights. Türk expressed concern about the violence and repression that opposition candidates and supporters were reportedly subjected to during Sunday's poll. He also emphasized that during the pre-election phase, thousands of opposition supporters were subjected to intimidation and arbitrary detentions, which undermined the legitimacy of the electoral process.
"Thousands of supporters of the opposition have faced intimidation or arbitrary detention in the months preceding the vote. Such strategies do not support a really authentic process, according to Türk. He called on the government to uphold the princip...