Geneva exhibition depicts 'gross human rights violations' in Bangladesh

Geneva, July 3 (IANS) An exhibition depicting the ongoing "gross human rights violations" in Bangladesh, including the arrest of prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, under the current Muhammad Yunus regime concluded at the United Nations in Geneva during the regular session of the 59th Human Rights Commission.

Geneva-based human rights organisation International Forum for Secular Bangladesh, Bangladesh Minority Alliance (Switzerland Chapter) and Tumuku Development and Cultural Union jointly organised the three-day poster exhibition during the UNHRC session.

It highlighted the "current crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations in Bangladesh", the organisers detailed.

"A total of 30 posters depicting the gross human rights violations of the current Muhammad Yunus regime in the past 10 months were displayed in the exhibition," Sajeeb Wazed, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son, posted on X.

"A large number of foreign diplomats, thousands of foreign NGO workers and hundreds of human rights activists who came to the human rights session expressed their heartfelt feelings after seeing the horrific, heartbreaking pictures of the poster," Wazed added.

According to the organiser of the exhibition, Geneva-based human rights activist Rahman Khalilur Mamun, the pictures were divided in five categories to raise global public opinion on the current human rights situation in Bangladesh.

The categories included, Bangladesh communal violence and minority oppression; Freedom of the press; Suppression of voices and journalistic oppression; Demand for the unconditional release of Chinmoy Das Prabhu; Mob terrorism and sexual abuse of women and children; and, Sheikh Hasina, world conscience - mother of humanity.

"Yunus has tarnished the Nobel Peace Prize by sponsoring such a demonic flow of events. It is important to form a world opinion on such a terrible human rights violation," Pashtun community leader and human rights activist Fazlur Rahman Afridi said during the event.

The forum stated that the General Secretary of the Swiss Socialist Party in Geneva, Sylvain Thevot also expressed sympathy with all victims of mob violence and raised concerns regarding Bangladesh under Yunus. Thevot said that he will discuss his concern in his party forum meeting regarding the situation in Bangladesh.

Claudia Wadlich, a leader of a German-based human rights organisation, also expressed grief about the current situation in Bangladesh.

Growing mob violence, human rights violations, persecution of minorities, torture of innocent political prisoners, ban on political parties and suspension of freedom of the press and expression in Bangladesh was prominently highlighted during the exhibition.

According to the forum, numerous human rights activists and diplomats commented on the ongoing minority persecution and crimes against human rights in Bangladesh, emphasising that, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the current Yunus-led interim government is heading towards a "dysfunctional failed state and civil war due to the increasing terrorist policies".

--IANS

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