US Treasury Sanctions Perpetrators of Serious Human Rights Abuse on International Human Rights Day
US Treasury Sanctions Perpetrators of Serious Human Rights Abuse on International Human Rights Day Designations target those connected to human rights abuse, including technology-enabled abuse WASHINGTON — Today, on International Human Rights Day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 15 individuals and 10 entities for their connection […]
Bangladesh’s COVID-19 stimulus: Leaving the most vulnerable behind
Bangladesh’s COVID-19 stimulus: Leaving the most vulnerable behind The Bangladeshi government’s $8 billion stimulus package, about 2.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), primarily focuses on industries, particularly export-oriented ones. In doing so, the package intended to contain and mitigate the economic fallout of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) left out the most vulnerable sections […]
POLITICAL HYPOCRISY KNOWS NO BOUNDS OR BORDERS
Just when I thought I had witnessed the ultimate in political hypocrisy at the end of Donald Trump’s historic and depressing impeachment trial, Sheikh Hasina – the prime minister of Bangladesh – has restored my faith that South Asian politicians can match any politician anywhere on the hypocrisy chart. And surely, on this hypocrisy chart, […]
Anger in Bangladesh over dissident writer’s death in prison
Protests erupt over death of Mushtaq Ahmed, arrested last year on charges of violating the stringent Digital Security Act. There is widespread anger in Bangladesh over the death in prison of a dissident writer arrested last year under the Digital Security Act (DSA), which critics say stifles freedom of speech. Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, died on […]
Bangladesh’s Economic ‘Recovery’ in the COVID-19 Era: A Paradox, a Puzzle or a Mirage
Reports in late August and early September suggest that the Bangladeshi economy is making a comeback from the COVID-19 induced downturn. Bangladesh entered the seventh month of the pandemic in September with a death toll of at least 4,500 and more than 338,000 cases. Conflicting information about the economy, the state of public health and […]
Bangladesh: Silencing Voices With The Digital Security Act
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” ~John Stuart Mill, Philosopher According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bangladesh ranks 151 in 2020 out of 180 countries, thus falling five […]
A Tale Of Misplaced Priorities
It’s mind-boggling to think of a situation where there is an urgency, poor people are in dire need, and money is in the hands of the government allocated to help those in need, but the money is not being distributed properly. This is what is happening with the Bangladesh government’s cash transfer programme for the […]
The United States: Cherry Picking Human Rights Issues
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”. ~Nelson Mandela In June, President Donald Trump signed legislation calling for sanctions against those responsible for the repression and oppression of Uighur Muslims in the far western regions of Xinjiang, China. The bill passed the U.S. Congress almost unanimously and is meant to […]
As The Sino-Indian Rivalry Heats Up, Watch Bangladesh Carefully
The ongoing tensions and stalemate between India and China in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has brought not only the Sino-Indian rivalry into the spotlight, but also India’s relationships with its neighbors. Unlike previous instances, when India used to enjoy unqualified support from all its neighbors save Pakistan, the clash with Beijing has […]
Book launch of Bangladesh: A Suffering People Under State Terrorism (Peter Lang, 2020)
Bangladesh: A Suffering People Under State Terrorism explores the destructive political situation in Bangladesh under the one-party and one-person rule of the despotic Sheikh Hasina. The contributors to this edited collection examine the catastrophic political environment of the country in view of the Hasina regime’s relentless oppression and repression since 2009, the authoritarian rule of her […]