On the Government of Bangladesh’s war on drugs

By The International Indigenous Peoples Movement on Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL)

The International Indigenous Peoples Movement on Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) vehemently condemns the Government of Bangladesh’s War on Drugs! Over 130 alleged “drug offenders” have been shot dead and at least 13,000 were arrested by Bangladeshi security forces in nationwide anti-drug operations under the Government’s Zero Tolerance Policy against illegal drugs in May 2018.

This scenario is similar to what is happening in other countries in the region, particularly in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia. These governments’ obsession with the war against drugs has cost thousands of innocent lives while many others are still at risk, especially human rights defenders and activists. These so-called wars against drugs have also been used to cover up political and extrajudicial killings which target activists who are farmers, workers, or Indigenous Peoples standing up for their rights.

The war on drugs is not a genuine effort in tackling the perceived drug problem. It promotes rampant human rights violation through its one-sided shootouts and arbitrary arrests instead of investing in public healthcare and rehabilitation services, or better yet, addressing the roots of the drug addiction and social unrest by improving the quality and accessibility of social services that will enable the development of the peoples’ general welfare.