Update: Our sources are confirming that Mehedi Hasan has been released today (sunday, feb 3rd) after intense pressure from various lobbying groups.

Bangladesh’s image on human rights violation is taking a huge beating worldwide. No thanks to activities such as the arrest of US based activist Mehedi Hasan.

“U.S. rights worker arrested” is the headline of Washington Times. While organizations like Labor behind label, War on Want etc have gone all out with their lobbying power, its hard to fathom how arresting rights activist in suspect charges can help government’s image for good governence and upholding of human rights.

The charge against Mehedhi Hasan is of “instigating workers’ unrest” in Bangladesh. Now how can we prove someone from a little known NGO in Washington DC can come to Dhaka for a few weeks and instigate all the workers is beyond me. But the government propaganda machine New Nation says the following:

Mehedi reportedly confessed to interrogators that he used to collect information about workers’ problems and send the information through E-mail to the WRC headquarters in Washington DC

Now what’s their to confess about, its not clear about sending your boss email report on your visit? So what does this organization WRC do? They are basically an organization which investigates for its clients whether different brands across the world are getting clothings from compliant factories. Their client base is mostly about 178 universities in the USA who let NIKE and GAP use their university name at the exchange of a sponsorship fee. From reading about them in the web, it seems WRC sends in its field workers to gather data from the ground. If that is the case, then its hard to fathom what was the crime in this supposed confession by Mehedi Hasan of sending data via email to his headquarters.

In a conveniently leaked statement by the investigators, the report further said

Mehedi was also learnt to have disclosed that he incited garments workers to press for their demands and held several secret meetings with a section of garment workers’ leaders.

The problem with the above leak is many folds. Over the past few months, we have seen many such confessions that was either recounted or was said to be given under duress. Now how does someone “incite” someone to press for their demands? How is it having meetings with garment workers’ leaders a crime? Was their cash transfer involved? But what are the chances?

We do not know. But what is clear that the government is trying to send a message to all the activists and HR organizations. The message is “Don’t bother; we don’t care”. It reminds us of the 4 Channel 4 journalists who were arrested in 2002 during the early part of BNP era for reporting on Islamic Extremists. That became a huge PR disaster for BNP for which they later paid a price for being known as the party sympathetic to Islamic extremists.

It is not a surprize that the international media will lap it up. Probably would have caused more fiasco, had it been a non-brown guy. Coming to think of it, they probably wouldn’t have arrested him if he was not brown. They took their chances with Mehedi to send a message. On the last check, there were 49 news reports out on this across the world in google news. See here. All the labor organizations are doing intense lobbying and calling up on the buyers like GAP, Nike etc to press for his release.

It is very likely after a few days Mehedi will get released after pressure from these lobbying groups and clients. But by then damage to its reputation will be done. Whoever is advising the government on these matters are doing a disservice to it for the sheer stupidity of it. They need to realize that the world is a much smaller place now. Countries not only have to be bound by their own law but they have to abide by International Laws as well. Now there will be serious suspicion that Bangladesh has something to hide.

With friends like this for the garments industry, who needs an enemy?

In the meantime, Grameen Phone has been given show cause on why their license should not be cancelled. I’d be probably happy at this news had the economy, business confidence and state of foreign investment in Bangladesh was not in such a terrible shape. December, 2008 seems so far away!

Below is the WRC press release:

Anti-Sweatshop Investigator for US Group Arrested, Held Incommunicado By Bangladesh Government

Global Campaign Sparked as 178-member U.S. University Labor Rights Consortium Raises Alarm

The arrest by the Bangladeshi government of an investigator for a leading America labor rights watchdog group has sparked a global campaign to secure his release.

Mehedi Hasan, field investigator for the Washington D.C.-based Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), was arrested by government security forces on January 24th and has since been held in detention, incommunicado. The WRC is a Washington, D.C.-based labor rights monitoring organization working on behalf of 178 universities and colleges.

Human rights groups and labor rights advocates around the globe have joined the WRC in demanding Mr. Hasan’s release. The US government and major apparel brands and retailers that produce clothing in the country have also weighed in with the Bangladeshi government.

Mr. Hasan’s arrest appears to be part of a broader campaign of repression by the government against labor rights advocates in the wake of recent demonstrations by apparel workers in Dhaka, the capital city. An employee of the AFL-CIO’s office in Dhaka was arrested a week earlier than Mr. Hasan and there are reportedly arrest warrants out for a number of Bangladeshi worker rights advocates.

Bangladesh is run by a military-backed “caretaker” government and the country’s human rights practices have come under increasing criticism. The security forces are operating under “emergency rules” decreed by the government, which suspend basic civil liberties. Mr. Hasan’s family’s repeated requests to see him have been denied. The authorities apparently plan to subject him to a range of bogus criminal charges.

Said WRC Executive Director, Scott Nova, “There is no legitimate reason for Mehedi Hasan’s arrest and we call upon the government of Bangladesh to effect his immediate and unconditional release. We are deeply concerned for his safety.” Nova cited fears that Mr. Hasan may have been subjected to physical mistreatment while in custody.

Mr. Hasan’s job is to monitor compliance with labor rights codes of conduct that the WRC’s member universities apply to the production of clothing bearing their names and logos. The organization also does labor rights monitoring for the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The kind of monitoring work done by Mr. Hasan is commonplace in Bangladesh and in other apparel exporting countries and plays an important role in ensuring that goods imported into the US are not made under sweatshop conditions.

Mr. Hasan’s detention appears to be retaliation for his efforts, on the WRC’s behalf, to protect the rights of workers in apparel factories in Dhaka that sell to US brands. Said Nova, “The government’s actions are an attack on the independent labor rights monitoring that is essential to ensuring that the clothing worn by US consumers is made under decent working conditions.”

Another WRC employee, Bent Gehrt, a Danish national, was in Dhaka with Mr. Hasan during the week of January 20. Mr. Gehrt was detained at Zia International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to board a flight to Bangkok. Mr. Gehrt was subjected to an aggressive interrogation, during which his interrogators made it clear that he and Mr. Hasan had been under surveillance by the security forces for several days. Mr. Gehrt was ultimately allowed to board his flight and leave the country.

In addition to arresting Mehedi Hasan, the government has seized a WRC computer containing records of confidential worker interviews. The WRC stated that it is concerned not only for the safety of Mr. Hasan, but of the workers who provided confidential testimony to the WRC in course of labor rights investigations.

“The government of Bangladesh should recognize that harassment of factory monitors, labor rights advocates, and workers who participate in labor rights inquiries will do serious damage to the country’s international reputation,” said Nova. “Brands and retailers that buy clothing overseas do not want their products associated with this kind of behavior. If the government of Bangladesh wants to drive away business and undermine the viability of the country’s main export sector, this is a good way to do it.”

Shafiur has more.