No one should remain in jail unjustly, government will ensure it: Shama Obaid

Shama Obaid, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, has said that the current government will ensure that no person remains in prison or detained unjustly due to political vendetta.

She made the remarks while talking to journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (August 25).

Recently Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report calling for an end to indefinite pre-trial detention of political opponents in Bangladesh. The report said the BNP government had promised reforms.

When asked about this, Shama Obaid said that the kind of human rights violations that took place in Bangladesh over the past 17 years had never happened before in the country’s history. The biggest victims of this were the BNP and its leaders and activists.

She said, ‘So we never want the past fascist era to return now or in the future. We want the minimum human rights of everyone to be ensured and the human rights of every citizen to be protected.’

Regarding the cases filed centering on the July-August incidents, the State Minister said that the cases which were supposed to be filed legally have been filed. Cases have also been filed against those involved in killings and the masterminds of enforced disappearances and murders.

However, noting that many cases were filed out of ‘over-enthusiasm’, she said the Law Ministry has informed that it will also review these cases. If no truth or basis of any case is found in the review, measures will be taken accordingly.

Shama Obaid said, ‘The position of our government is that we are committed to protecting human rights and are accountable to the people. Whether it is any opposition party, Awami League or whichever party; the current government will definitely ensure that no one remains in jail or detained unjustly due to political vendetta.’