Staff Reporter:
The International Human Rights Day will be observed in the country like elsewhere in the world today in a befitting manner.
This year’s theme of the day is ‘Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.’
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of the day, wishing all programs of the day a success.
In his message, the President said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman fought for the protection of human rights throughout his life.
Bangabandhu skillfully included human rights issues in the constitution of Bangladesh, he said, adding that an independent and impartial organization -National Human Rights Commission- was established in 2009 with the aim of protecting and developing these constitutional rights.
The activities of the Commission should be strengthened at the grass root level to increase public aware-ness on human rights and protect human rights, the head of the state said.
“Besides, we must be vocal in protecting the rights of all the oppressed people of the world, including Palestine,” he said.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “On the auspicious occasion of the United Nations Human Rights Day, I, on behalf of the government and the people of Bangladesh, join the international community in reiterating our unflinching commitment to upholding human rights enshrined in the Uni-versal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).”
This year marks the 75th anniversary of this milestone document, which is equally relevant yesterday as it was 75 years ago, the premier said.
The celebration of this anniversary reminds all of the progress made and the work that still lies ahead in creating a world where equality, freedom, and justice genuinely exist for all, she said.
“Thus, the theme for this year’s Human Rights Day, ‘Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All,’ is apt and timely,” she said.
Bangladesh was born in 1971 through a long and heroic struggle to establish people’s rights and uproot inequality, she said.
“Our enduring experience of being oppressed and deprived guided us to formulate a constitution embrac-ing the UDHR principles under the leadership of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she added.
