Unheard Voices

The term ‘dirty war’ refers to the way the Argentine military junta kidnapped, tortured, killed or simply forced the disappearance of its civilian political opponents during the late 1970s. Similar tactics were used by other contemporary Latin American juntas. The crucial difference between a run of the mill counter-insurgency and the Argentine-style dirty war is that the latter involves state sponsored violence against unarmed, civilian political opposition.

Are we in a ‘dirty war’ in Bangladesh?

(More at Mukti)

Central Vice President of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s student wing JCD, and ex VP of Barisal BM College student’s union and Barisal city unit JCD President, Mr Moshiul Alam Sentu was arrested from Dhaka yesterday. It was reported in Newspapers yesterday. This second page small report in a vernacular daily described how he was picked up and taken to undisclosed location yesterday.

If Bangladesh media still retain the slightest trace of sensitivity, I feel Mr Sentu will get a better coverage in tomorrows newspapers. He was killed today by RAB.

Just like that. That easy!

Members of the defence forces pick up an opposition political leader without any arrest warrant and take him away blindfolded. Then within several hours, without any court proceedings, any charges, any chance of defense, that man is shot and killed. And this is executed by members of government law enforcement agencies and defence forces. And that is not the end of the story. The tortured and mutilated body of the victim is then thrown in a public place in his own locality for public viewing.

Welcome to political season 2008-2009. Welcome to post 1/11 Bangladesh.

Well-paid jobs at garment factories in Dhaka. Employment at steel mills in India or the UAE. Highly-paid work at beauty parlours in Singapore. Marriage. These are the lucrative offers made to women and children in vulnerable situations. Often, however, they turn out to be false promises and victims are trapped and trafficked either from rural to urban areas within the country or to foreign lands, and forced into the sex trade. Unlike victims of other crimes, most victims of trafficking do not even make statistics, because the actual number of people being trafficked is unknown. (more…)

Photo: Star Members of the joint forces pick up a man and search for arms at Hatirjheel of Madhubagh in the capital during a drive yesterday

1,637 held as crackdown on political men goes on

Kishoreganj : The joint forces arrested 44 persons including listed criminals. They also conducted raids on the residences of several AL and BNP leaders.

Faridpur: The joint forces and police arrested 14 persons including Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Faridpur unit President Mahbubur Rahman Khan.

Chandpur reports: At least eight persons, including AL and BNP leaders, were arrested in separate drives.

Sirajganj reports: Rab arrested two persons including a Jubo Dal leader in separate drives in Sirajganj.

Rajshahi: the joint forces yesterday held two Awami League leaders at Puthia upazila in the district.

Rangpur: joint forces arrested district BNP joint secretary Masud Khan from his Jummapara residence on Saturday night.

Chapainawabganj: joint forces in separate drives arrested AL activist Abdul Malek of Bholahat upazila and Jamaat activist Habibur Rahman Hobi of Gomostapur early yesterday. They were handed over to police.

Khulna : six people including Khulna city AL leader Birendra Nath Ghose were arrested by joint forces on Saturday night and yesterday.

Bogra: Krishak League president Mamunur Rashid and 15 others were arrested on charge of taking drugs.

The other arrestees are Al leader Bulu Biswas, Jubo League leader Rafiqul Islam, Jatiya Party leader Moniruzzaman Elu, Zahidur Rahman and Imran Khan.

New Age Editorial

Arbitrary arrests can never strengthen democracy

WE ARE alarmed by the initiation of fresh drives by the military-controlled interim government to arrest grassroots politicians from around the country. Although the inspector general of police has claimed that these are routine drives to contain crime and have not been triggered by any political motive, it is evident from the identities of most of those detained thus far that the regime has decided once again to tighten the noose around the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It is also probably not a coincidence that these drives come at a time when both the BNP and the Awami League have decided to pull out of planned dialogues with the government and have hinted at initiating movements to free their detained leaders and to bring to an end the ongoing state of emergency. Leaders of both parties have already condemned the new arrests and have stated that these are, in their opinion, nothing more than the latest attempts by the regime to frighten politicians into submission.
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The death of 48 year old Rashida Mohiuddin due to medical negligence is another chapter of the dark saga of our health care sector. The rich can afford to fly abroad for treatment but they can’t afford the time to go when there is an emergency. Unlike other times, recent string of high profile deaths like film star Manna etc, and collective advocacy campaign via web by victim’s families, have kept the issue on the front line.

Hana Shams Ahmed looks at both sides of the debate
Hana Shams Ahmed: Labaid, accident or negligence?
Blog: Lab Aid’s Real Face
Report on legal recourse of medical negligence.
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Rizwan Hossain is a well known tv host among the Londoni Bangladeshis for his work for Islamic charities. The statement below speaks for itself and tells a story of despicable brutality unleashed upon him by 5 air force officers at ZIA International Airport. An ISPR release said today that an investigative commission has been formed. The chance of anything happening is slightly brightened because of the fact that Rizwan is a British citizen. As with other similar cases, this news was completely blacked out in Bangladeshi media.

I travelled to Bangladesh on 11th April 2008 to visit my ailing father who is currently at Square Hospital suffering from final stages of Lung Disease.

On 14th April, I travelled to Dhaka to see off my sister, brother in law and baby nephew at Zia International Airport, she was due to fly back to the UK on BA145 at 08.00 hours. I entered the airport with his family through Door 23 having purchased a ticket for 500 taka. I accompanied my sister to the British Airways counter, assisted her to check in and then my sister then proceeded on to the departure lounge.

I proceeded to leave the airport to return to my car in the car park, just as I was leaving I was approached by an elderly woman (from Loughborough) who informed me of some problems she was facing with her ticket with emirates. It transpired that this lady was the mother in law of Abdul Mozid Taher (greater Sylhet council). Abdul Mozid Taher also called at that point from UK and requested me to assist his mother in law and young sister at the airport. On this request, I spoke to the emirates check-in counter and explained the ladies problem.

The emirates check in officer Jami asked me to wait a little while and he would get back to him if a solution can be found. I stayed a little while to help her. A few minutes later I was approached by security staff and asked how I got in. I explained that I had entered to see off my sister, husband, and child and presently was trying to help the elderly lady.

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Full report will be published here shortly

Ain o Salish Kendra, a human rights and legal service commission, in its annual report on human rights in Bangladesh, 2007 says the government’s record has been inconsistence and contradictory.

The report has been summarised mentioning that human rights violation, marginalisation of minority communities and harassment of indigenous communities in different areas including Chittagong Hill Tracts continued like previous years. Moreover, the role of army and intelligence agencies in rights violation remained opaque and officially undocumented.

The report in a cooperative analysis says rights appear to be violated in the pursuit of a law and order agenda and the prevention of corruption when it happened during the tenure of previous political governments to serve the interests of corrupt individuals or political parties or some other reasons.

Questions have been raised over neutrality of the military-backed caretaker government in relation to Islamist groups, as right wing religious groups have been able to stage street demonstrations on occasions with impunity.

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Background

On March 19th, the first anniversary of Cholesh’s death was observed. or was it? Didn’t hear a word about it any where. In this one year, we have seen Universtiy teachers getting 2 year imprisonment for doing a silent procession (and then pardoned), we have seen “anti corruption” drives to bring rule of law in the country. But what we have not gotten is justice for Chalesh and family. In stead, his family got 30,000 taka and a sewing machine.

Human rights groups demanded publication of the inquiry report of the killing of Choles Ritchil and punishment to the culprits

On 28 February 2008 in a press conference, five prominent human rights bodies in Bangladesh, namely, Ain O Salish Kedra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Association of Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Nijera Kori and Bangladesh Environment Lawyer Association (BELA) demanded immediate publication of the judicial inquiry report of the killing of indigenous leader Mr. Choles Ritchil and punishment to the persons involved with this incident.
Ms. Sultana Kamal, former Advisor of Caretaker Government and Executive Director of ASK presided over the conference. A written statement was read out by Mr. Sayeed Ahmed, Coordinator of ASK. Among others, eminent human rights activist Dr. Hamida Hossain, Executive Director of BLAST Mr. Taslimur Rahman, Executive Director of ALRD Mr. Shamsul Huda, Coordinator of Nijera Kori Ms. Khushi Kabir and senior lawyer Mr. Iqbal Kabir were present at the press conference. It is mentionable that Mr Choles Ritchil was tortured to death in the custody of the joint forces at Khakraid under Modhupur police station in Tangail district on 18 March 2007.
In their press statement, the human rights bodies expressed their frustration over the government attitudes after the killing of Mr. Choles Ritchil. They said that though 10 months have been passed after the incident, but judicial inquiry committee formed by the government did not publish its report so far. For the sake of justice, the report of the inquiry committee should be published soon and the culprits should be punished accordingly, they demanded.
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I have known Matin Shaheb since 1995. He used to run a cornerstore in the western city where I studied. His son Ananda is a few years younger than me, so in the traditional Deshi fashion I called him uncle. They are from old Dhaka and Keraniganj, and you’d know it from Mrs Matin’s - Saleha aunty’s - biriyani. Ananda is married now, and has a kid too. I don’t think they still run the shop, but I do know that they are the kind of honest, harworking folks whose remittances are keeping our economy afloat.

This post is about a few e-mails I received from Matin Shaheb lately.

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Hassan Ariff says NSC is coming. We are approaching end times
National Security Council will be formed: Hassan Ariff

Thu, Mar 20th, 2008 8:31 pm BdST
Dhaka, March 20 (bdnews24.com) – The caretaker administration is considering forming a National Security Council to tackle law and order issues and national disasters, law adviser AF Hassan Ariff said Thursday. Potential members of the council include the president, the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and representatives of the armed forces, the adviser told reporters in his land ministry office. Ariff, who is also land adviser, failed to say when the national security council might come into being. “The matter is being discussed. No draft proposal on the formation of such a council has reached the law ministry or the cabinet from the home ministry,” said Ariff. The adviser, however, confirmed the Truth Commission would be formed in a month: “It seems that the Anticorruption Commission does not have any reservations about it.” The Truth Commission, also known as the ‘accountability commission’, is intended to facilitate legal investigations and trials. bdnews24.com/ahd/ehb/my/am/2000 hours

The government’s human rights record worsened, in part due to the state of emergency and postponement of elections. The Emergency Powers Rules of 2007 (EPR), imposed by the government in January and effective through year’s end, suspended many fundamental rights, including freedom of press, freedom of association, and the right to bail. The anticorruption drive initiated by the government, while greeted with popular support, gave rise to concerns about due process. For most of the year the government banned political activities, although this policy was enforced unevenly. While there was a significant drop in the number of extrajudicial killings by security forces, they were accused of serious abuses, including custodial deaths, arbitrary arrest and detention, and harassment of journalists. Some members of security forces acted with impunity and committed acts of physical and psychological torture. Violence against women and children remained a major problem, as was trafficking in persons.

The full 2007 reoprt on Human rights in Bangladesh by the US state department can be found here

HRW has published a 44 page summary on the account of what happened to Tasneem Khalil in custoday.

Here is the chilling full report where there is a lot of first hand account by Tasneem.

The international media has picked up the news story widely.

Original thread from last May in UV.

Here is a reaction that we got after someone read through the piece:

My blood is boiling with rage. I have been there all along in Bangladesh but never knew a single word of it. So you see how ‘neutral’ this media has become. I was in total darkness. I read T Khalil’s blog once in a while and thought that was a smart guy. It was so appalling to see what happened to him and its even worse than Pak Army cause its our own Army. I knew DGFI is involved in some notorious activities but this is the first time I saw first hand evidence.

The report on Tasneem is outrageous, no doubt.

However, if someone reads it as a damning indictment against the whole of army in general, it will be wrong. As evident from Tasneem’s testimony, there were a number of people in army (juniors) who were sympathetic to him. But the reality is that there is unchecked and unaccoutable power to a very few. When that happens, there is bound to be misuse ot it. As a result, the image of the whole institution suffers. That is what we are seeing in Bangladesh today. That is why an institute that was not trained for law enforcements should not have taken over this job for such a prolonged period. It simply does not work. So this is damning indictment against using army for law enforcement and also an indictment against arbitrary use of power. Most importantly its a damning indictment against torture.

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One of the strikingly positive things of our trip was that we saw an awareness among people that we have never seen before. Now all they need is some political leadership that will work FOR them. Irene Khan quite aptly sums up the whole trip that gives us hope to carry on the debate and the struggle — for justice.

See the original piece with pictures from her trip here

Amnesty chief with Shahidul Alam and Asif Saleh in the freedom of expression seminar organized by Drishtipat, Drik and Amnesty for young journalists, activists and bloggers at Drik. Image- Amin at Drik -courtesy Amnesty

Ending the downward spiral in Bangladesh
by Irene Khan,

As British Airways flight BA144 takes off from Zia International Airport in the darkness of the night, I look out of the window of the airplane and think of the metaphorical darkness from which the people of this country are seeking to escape.

For decades, Bangladesh has been caught in a downward spiral of corruption, insecurity, political violence and organized crime in which human rights and the rule of law have been the first casualties. Political leaders have shown more interest in abuse of power for personal gains than in poverty eradication. The powerful and the privileged have acted with impunity, with no fear of being called to account by weak and ineffective state institutions.

Repressive laws, including laws granting special or emergency powers, have been used and abused by successive governments. Police and other state officials have sided with the affluent and the influential, so that the most vulnerable – women, minorities, the poor and the marginalized – have been the least protected.

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Behind every big dictators and puppets, there lies a “Great” nation!

Photo: AP

Reviled by many Pakistanis for temporarily suspending the constitution last fall and throwing hundreds or possibly thousands of lawyers and political opponents in jail, Pervez Musharraf nevertheless felt free to offer human-rights advice to a fellow regional leader in Davos.

Read this stunning piece of news on knowledge transfer from Musharraf to Fakhruddin here
(hat tip: RS)

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BDNEWS24 Report

Dhaka, Jan 6 (bdnews24.com) – Dhaka Reporters Unity Sunday said it had cancelled a scheduled press conference by a grieving father over the death of his baby girl at the instruction of the organisation’s president.

Shafiqul Islam, a businessman from Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka, said he booked the hall room of the DRU for Jan 1 to go public with a statement but the DRU cancelled the booking without citing any reason.

His 1½-month-old daughter Afia died from what he alleged was “wrong treatment” at LabAid Hospital on Dec 27.

A letter signed by DRU general secretary Ilyas Khan and sent to the members of the organisation Saturday said the president, Alamgir Hossain, ordered the cancellation on Dec 31 at the request of a senior journalist.

The decision was conveyed to Shafiqul on the evening of Dec 31, the letter said, adding the incident seriously damaged the image of the DRU.

Shafiqul had told bdnews24.com that another member of the organisation called in the police to him and his family from talking with journalists in front of the DRU office in Segun Bagicha.

DRU executive committee at a meeting on Jan 3 served a notice on the DRU member, Madhusudan Mandal, also acting president of the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB), asking him to respond to the allegation in three days.

Alamgir defended his action at the meeting of the executive committee meeting, saying he had cancelled the booking at the request of journalist AMB Musa.

Musa denied having made such request.

Alamgir also said the death of the baby was not mentioned in the application for the booking, Ilyas, the DRU general secretary, told bdnews24.com.

Ilyas quoted Alamgir as saying at the meeting that Musa had told him that an attempt to reach a compromise with Shafiqul, the father, was going on and so, there was nothing to say in the press briefing.

Reached, Musa told the bdnews24.com by telephone Sunday, “I did not ask for cancellation of the press conference.”

“I said LabAid authorities have come to know that a press conference is going to be held [over the death of the child]. I made a request whether the views of both sides could be presented following the journalistic ethics. I did not make any request [ to cancel the press briefing].”

Speaking to bdnews24.com Thursday, Madhusudan denied the allegation against him and said, “I have no relation with the press conference.”

Madhusudan said he was working for a private TV station named “Ekattur”, which was yet to go on the air. LabAid Group is financing the channel and Musa is the channel’s chairman, he added.

bdnews24.com could not reach Alamgir for comment as multiple calls to his cellphone went unanswered.