UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein yesterday strongly condemned continuing violent attacks against bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh.
He also called on the government to take urgent, concerted measures to ensure the protection of all those who are being threatened by extremists operating in the country.
“The state must not allow extremist groups to take matters into their own hands,” the high commissioner said in a statement.
“There is an urgent need for a concerted response to prevent more killings by promptly bringing the perpetrators to justice, and by taking effective measures to protect writers, publishers and any other people in Bangladesh who are being threatened with violence,” the statement read.
“I urge political and religious leaders to consistently and unequivocally condemn this spate of vicious killings and threats.”
He also stressed that the state must ensure that journalists, civil society actors and human rights defenders are able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and opinion without fear for their safety.
“When people are explicitly threatened with violence or murder, it is the duty of the State to provide them with effective protection.”
Source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/
Updated On: november 6, 2015