Protest rallies must be peaceful: AHRC

The ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh has placed the nation into a deep state of uncertainty. The 15^th amendment of the constitution is one of the important reasons for the current state of affairs in Bangladesh, says The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on Friday.

Public places in Bangladesh have become unsafe today for the people when protest rallies are held. Even without a public protest, person and property in the country does not have any guarantee to their security. The overall breakdown of law and order is of such state, that a pro-government group, or those protesting against the government, or literally anyone can vandalise, and hurt or murder people in public without fear of prosecution. Often when such acts happen the law enforcement agencies look on without effectively intervening, or when they intervene, such interventions result in more damage to person and property.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed, that today yet another public rally is to be held in Dhaka. It is rumoured that this rally could be used as excuse by criminal elements to perpetuate acts of violence in the capital city. It is feared that people and property could be lost as its immediate consequence.

Due to the failure of the law enforcement agencies in undertaking their job responsibly within the framework of the rule of law it is open for criminal elements in the society to engage in public vandalism especially when protests are held.

While the state should guarantee the right to expression and opinion, it is equally the responsibility of the state, as well as those who protest, to do so within the framework of the rule of law. All protests must be held peacefully.

It is the responsibility of each citizen to end the ongoing impasse in Bangladesh. It is only when autocracy is replaced with democracy, and the rule of law, the people of Bangladesh can fully realize the fruits of freedom that they struggled hard to obtain.