UN ‘concerned’ over cancellation of Odhikar’s registration
The UN has called on the Bangladesh government to foster an enabling environment for civil society to undertake their work without fear of reprisals, particularly in the lead-up to the next polls.
"Civil society actors must not be deterred from cooperating with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Friday in Geneva
She noted that Bangladesh has the tradition of a strong and diverse civil society.
Restrictions to the right of freedom of association which do not respect the principles of necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination contravene international law, she said.
Shamdasani said they are "concerned" by the government of Bangladesh's decision not to approve the renewal of registration for Odhikar.
Bangladesh authorities, however, see Odhikar as a "controversial" human rights organisation in the country which was criticized for spreading misinformation.
There are allegations against Odhikar for "spreading propaganda" and "publishing misleading information" on rights issues, they say.
Shamdasani said, "We urge the government to immediately reconsider this decision, and to ensure that Odhikar has the ability to seek full judicial review of any such determination."
She said they are further concerned that this decision will have a "chilling effect" on the ability of civil society organisations to report serious human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Dhaka has criticised the government's move to deny registration renewal of rights organisation Odhikar.
In a Twitter post Friday, it condemned the action and said "People should be free to promote human rights freely and without fear of retaliation."
The NGO Affairs Bureau of the Prime Minister's Office cancelled the registration of Odhikar on 6 June.
The rights body applied for a 10 years extension of its registration to the NGO Bureau after its registration expired in 2015.
