A day after Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman’s comment on “shooting the addicts at sight,” rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) has condemned the statement and expressed its concern over the matter.
ASK termed the remark “unacceptable” in a media statement issued on Wednesday, and said it was contrary to law and basic principles of human rights. “Extrajudicial killings never play effective role in establishing rule of law in society and instead widens the scope for human rights and laws to be violated,” ASK said in its release.
Referring to the Constitution of Bangladesh and international laws, the human rights watchdog said Article 32 of the constitution clearly mentions that no citizen can be deprived of his/her personal freedoms. Moreover, Articles 27 and 31 provide equal rights to every citizen to get legal aid and justice, it added.
“Despite such provisions in the constitution, Minister Mostafizur lent credence to extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh,” the press release said. ASK urged the people engaged in adopting and enforcing laws to be more responsible while making comments.
On Tuesday, the minister said if he were the home minister, he would root out the problem of drug addiction by “shooting the addicts at sight”. He was addressing the 28th founding anniversary programme of the Department of Narcotics Control at Tejgaon area in Dhaka.
- Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune, Jan 03, 2018
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