Akash
pic credit: private

Jahangir Alam Akash of Rajshahi recently did something really foolish which not many journalists dared to do in today’s Bangladesh. He filed an exclusive report for CSB channel on how RAB shot to injury a local political leader point blank in front of his wife and daughter. 30 minutes after the shooting, he went to the scene and reported live for CSB. Bad news for him. RAB commandar was not happy at this national exposure. The local RAB commander Major Rashidul Hasan Rashid called him and said he better watch out. His reports were “anti-state” and RAB would be forced to take action against him. Anyone who is familiar with our Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) knows that the “action” is almost tantamount to death sentence. Ever since then, Akash and his pregnant wife Sharmin felt there was no one to protect them. They moved from their house terrified and moved outside Rajshahi in fear of getting killed in “crossfire”.

While they were on the run, Akash lost his job because the government shut down CSB, the 24 hour news channel he worked for. Akash is fiercely independent — perhaps too independent for his own good. He is also the leader of the local journalist union. In the last three years ever since becoming the general secretary, he repeatedly led protest marches and campaign against oppression on other journalists. In October, 2004 after the death of a journalist, in a remarkable mock protest, he alone stood in an open street for hours with his eyes blind folded and hands tied together in the back with a sign in his chest that said “Who is the Next Target?”. The picture moved a reader so much that he wrote a letter chiding Daily Star for giving such small coverage to such an exceptional protest on a such a critical issue.
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Credit: Daily Star

But this time, as if to answer his own question that he raised in his protest, he himself was the target. Even after his plight got highlighted by international press watch dog CPJ in May, the harrassments did not end. He again and again reached out to foreign press watch dog CPJ to protect him. No local news media printed his plight. There was no highlight for this colleague in need. How stupid of him to report against the new Zamindars, some of them said.

In August, something interesting had happened. A local contractor named Mafuzul Alam Loton filed an extortion case against him. This is the same person against whom Akash reported three times on his alleged criminal activities. Loton had an axe to grind against Akash as he reported about some of his irregularities to the press. Anyone familiar with recent developments in Bangladesh knows that these days there is a flurry of extortion cases in Bangladesh. These cases do not require much proof before an arrest — just mere words are enough. In talking to other HR orgs, Akash last month feared that this case by Loton may be used by RAB to take their revenge for his reporting. Anticipating arrest and giving up on the local courts, on October 20th, Akash filed for anticipatory bail in High Court in Dhaka. Although it was granted, there was a loop hole — it was to take effect from a week later from October 28th. On October 24th, four days before the anticipatory bail was to take effect, Akash was arrested by RAB — not on the extortion cases but on arbitrary powers granted by emergency which permits arrest without warrant and once arrested there is no chance of bail. Rest as they say is history. I got the following chilling info on Akash.

We have learned from highly reliable sources that an hour after his arrest, he was hung from the ceiling till the next afternoon, and beaten severely. At present, he is in Rajshahi Jail hospital. His condition is very serious. He has injury marks all over him, his legs are horribly swollen, and he is unable to walk. The Jail Hospital is not offering much in the way of treatment..

Two days after his arrest, Akash now found himself at the prison hospital with both his legs smashed and with cuts and bruises all over his body. There is no one to defend him. There is no editor to write special commentary about him. State has not given him the protection he richly deserved. Akash was not only a journalist, he was also a human rights defender. He is the coordinator of the Task Force against Torture (TFT)-Rajshahi city as well as the regional coordinator of the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) in the Rajshahi region. He risked his life to protect others rights. Not only the state failed to protect him, in this case it is the state itself which had victimized him. In typical cases, the civil society and the professional bodies should have come to his aid. But they have all been silenced as well — some in fear but most on their own free will thinking these are the casualities of war.

Ladies and gents, Journalist Tipu Sultan from Feni became a victim of Awami League Godfather Jainal Hajari. His case was widely reported and a worldwide campaign was started. Prothom Alo’s Matiur Rahman became a target and a hero for standing up for Tipu. After 7 years, some of us may think a lot has changed after 1/11, but has it really — specially outside Dhaka from where news is often unreported? Loton, against whom Akash filed various reports, was himself a local Awami League leader. But as times have changed, and as it happens all the time, Loton has cozied up to the new power broker in town. Asian Human Rights Congress’ local sources claims in this update that Loton goes fishing with Major Rashidul Hasan Rashid, the local RAB commander who allegedly threatened Akash in May. While old feudal lords have been replaced by new ones, something though has changed — forget a special editorial, Prothom Alo does not even have a story on Akash.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely and there is no exception in the case of RAB either. In 2001, we had kicked Awami League from power because of Jainal Hajari but we can’t do anything this time around? Chalesh was killed in custody and a lot of noise was made about him. A judicial commission was formed three days before a special envoy was sent to the US. But till this day we have not seen the commission’s report or any body getting punished for his death. However, there was a small story in Prothom Alo a few weeks back. It was a story of our desh premik shenabahini (patriotic army, as they are fondly called in the press these days) donating a sewing machine to Chalesh’s wife. Was it an indirect admission of guilt? I can almost hear someone saying this to Chalesh’s wife — “One of our bad apples may have killed your husband but we are giving you a sewing machine in return. Can you imagine that happening before 1/11? So shut up and don’t ask for justice.” We will leave that story for another time. If you wonder with what moral authority these very same people call for action against corruption and injustice, you are not the only one.

While Matiur Rahman, Dr. Yunus and other civil society leaders conveniently stays silent in the case of the Akashes of Bangladesh in the name of “rocky road to democracy”, can you not do anything about him?

Yes, you can.

Asian Human Rights Congress has been regularly sending appeals for actions against Akash for the past 3 months. They have been asking for intervention of Mr. Fakhruddin Ahmed in this case fearing this torture. But to no effect. Show your outrage and protest.
See sample letter that you can send to the Chief advisor. Spare a few a minutes and email a letter to the authorities as suggested by AHRCHK..

Do it for “foolish” Akash who dared to cross his “limit” and is now nursing his crushed legs and battered body, do it for his wife who hardly has anyone standing by her and most importantly do it for all those valiant journalists from outside Dhaka and the real human rights defenders of Bangladesh who lead a very lonely life these days.

….and oh yes, also if you feel nostalgic about the glory and “uncompromising” days of editor Matiur Rahman of Prothom Alo, click here and read up on his speech.
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Update: E-Bangladesh has a statement from Akash and more description of torture and false cases against him.
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pic credit: private