Human rights advocates and indigenous peoples’ representatives

Cases

Relevant SG report

From Country

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 23.684994

Longitude: 90.356331

From Region

Individual's/organization's activity: human rights advocates and indigenous peoples’ representatives, in particular from the Chittagong Hill Tracts; they reported on incidents of persecution, arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, disappearances and killings in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the first half of 2019

Type of rights defended

Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?: No

Reported trigger of reprisal: during the 18th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York in April 2019, where they reported on incidents of persecution, arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, disappearances and killings in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the first half of 2019.

Engagement with UN body

Type of attempted engagement

Reprisal information: Participants were followed and privately videotaped without their consent, and were approached and asked not to take the floor in public meetings.

Types of reprisals suffered

Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?: No

Further case development: some participants avoided speaking with United Nations officials out of fear of reprisals.

Government response content: Government responded to the allegations, expressing its dismay at the allegations reported. However, to be able to check on the authenticity of the allegations, the Government indicated that it requires more information without which allegations are incomplete, unfounded and unjustified. The Government stated that in UN meetings it is common practice to take photos or record audio/video of speakers unless prohibited or restricted for a specific event. It states that Permanent Forum events are open to all, including side events. The Government indicated that it is not aware on any incident where “indigenous participants were approached in the corridors and asked not to take the floor in public meetings.” Lastly, the Government highlighted that everyone in Bangladesh is indigenous and there are as many as 50 ethnic groups, but most of the participation at the Permanent Forum is from a single ethnic group and recommends for the Permanent Forum to be more inclusive.

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?: No

Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?: No

Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?: No