Human Rights Defender & Lawyer Mr. Shahanur Islam Once Again Received Threat from RAB-8 During Filing Case Against the RAB Personnel in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights has been received a report reliable source regarding to intimidation of Mr. Shahanur Islam, Secretary General and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development (BCHRD), Coordinator of Centre for Human Rights Fact Finding & Research (CHFR), Programme Officer of Legal and Human Rights Affairs at the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims (BRCT), as well as a member of the Bangladesh Bar Council and Bar Association in Dhaka district by the member of RAB-8, during filing case against the RAB personnel on charging murder by torturing during emergency period with the Chief Judicial magistrate Court in Shariyatpur district. According to the information received, there was no action taken by the police authorities.
BIOGRAPHY:
Name of the Victim :Mr. Shahanur Islam, Secretary General and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development (BCHRD), Coordinator of Centre for Human Rights Fact Finding & Research (CHFR), Programme Officer of Legal and Human Rights Affairs at the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims (BRCT), as well as a member of the Bangladesh Bar Council ( Membership # 12766) and Bar Association in Dhaka District (Membership # 11177).
During the time of his duties, he moved many cases against the perpetrators as a lawyer and some of them have been punished. He also conducted many investigations and fact-finding missions on human rights violations as well as issued local and international urgent appeals requesting attention to concerned authorities.
Name of the Perpetrators: Mr. Anis, Member of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-8, Madaripur, Bangladesh and other unknown 7 to 8 RAB Members.
Date of Incident : May 24-26, 2009
Place of Intimidation : In front of Court Chief judicial magistrate Court Ground, in Shariyatpur District.( During Filing Case Against the RAB Personnel on Charging Murder by Torturing).
FACT DETAILS:
On 24 May 2009 Mr. Shahanur Islam at evening went to Shariyatpur district to file a case against 16 accuseds including 7 members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-08, Madaripur Zone, charging on murder by torturing during the time of emergency under section 302, 109, 34 and 506 of Penal Code with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Shariyapur district by one Ret’d Army men Mr. Abdur Rahman Khan, father of the dead person (victim) Mr. Afjal Hossin with the help of Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), under its legal and humanitarian activities to promote and protect human rights with the vision of making a torture and extra judicial execution free Bangladesh. One of the accused Mr. Quayser Ahmed is an acting Assistant Superintend of Police (ASP) level official of RAB. When Mr. was staying at Shariyatpur town, some of the law enforcing agencies men clothing civil dress was following him continuously.
On 25 May 2009, around at 11.00 am, submitting the complaint with the court, when Mr. Islam was waiting to meet with pressmen as well as allegation accepting hearing against the RAB, one of the accused RAB member Mr. Anis clothing civil dress came before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court ground, Shariyatpur and tried to influence Mr. Islam to withdraw the complaint and also intimidated and pressurized him.
After completing the hearing the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Shariyatpur took the case as cognizance and ordered the Officer in Charge (OC) of Palang Police station to file the allegation as First Information report (FIR) ( you are requested to visit the links to know about the case:
http://www.prothom-alo.com/mcat.news.details.php?nid=MTU3MzY0&mid=NQ==, http://jugantor.com/enews/issue/2009/05/26/news0339.php, http://www.jaijaidin.com/details.php?nid=132603 )
[It is the historical event in Bangladesh because it is the first case in Bangladesh that has been filed against the RAB by a civil person on charging murdered by torture and ordered to the OC of Concerned police station to file the allegation against RAB as FIR (EJAHAR) is also first in Bangladesh] , around at 1.30 pm on the day when Mr. Islam came out from the court building, Mr. Anis, member of RAB tried to create obstacle on the way of Islam and again intimidated him. He gave threats to Mr. Islam to withdraw the case otherwise he should pay more for it and no one can safe him from facing more suffering if Mr. Islam tried to go ahead regarding this case. Then Mr. Anis went back.
Around at 6.00 pm Mr. Anis along with other 7 to 8 RAB personnel from RAB-8, Matheripur, clothing civil dress by a pickup van came to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court ground and looked for Mr. Islam. They asked some of the local people about the staying location of Mr. Islam. They also went to the Reporters Unity office of Shariyatpur district and looked for Mr. Islam and also asked some of the journalist about Mr. Islam. On May 26, 2009, around at 11. A.m. the RAB team led by Mr. Anis again went the Court ground and Reporters Unity Office look for Mr. Islam as well as asked the local people and journalist to inform about him. They also tried to influence the local people and journalist to inform about Mr. Islam.
Mr. Shahanur Islam is apprehending that any time the RAB Men can arrest him and implicated with false and concocted allegation as well as torture him brutally. He also apprehending that they can kidnap him by themselves or third party. Here specially mentioned that one of the accused person Quaiyum Ahmed (Accused number -01), is now discharging his duty at Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) as an Assistance Police commissioner.
Mr. Islam has had his life threatened on previous occasions. You are requested to visit the following links to know details:
http://bangladeshinstituteofhumanrights.blogspot.com/2009/05/urgent-appealensure-security-of-human.html
http://www.ghrd.org/pagina.asp?ID=3489
http://www.omct.org/index.php/pdf/ESCR/pdf/OMCT_Europe/2008/public_html/demo/index.php?id=&lang=eng&actualPageNumber=1&articleSet=Appeal&articleId=8446&PHPSESSID=2d76c0b15684004c53f09f4aae0ada39
http://www.ghrd.org/Pagina.asp?ID=3420
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
This is not any isolated instance of such threats on journalists or human rights defenders in Bangladesh. It is a very common phenomenon for the professionals like journalists and human rights defenders of Bangladesh facing death threats from the law-enforcing agencies and security forces. It is well-known that Bangladesh has cultivated one of the best cultures of impunity to alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses despite the nation’s presence in the UN Human Rights Council since May 2006. Instead of improving the country’s human rights records the government of Bangladesh has paved the ways to degrade the rights of the citizens through various means of violations.
SUGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the relevant authorities to take immediate measures to ensure personal security of the victims as well as other human rights activists. Particularly, in order to deter further harassment to Mr. Shahanur, the police should probe the incident of intimidation mentioned above and conduct effective investigation over the case. The perpetrator(s) must be punished in accordance to law. In addition, the police should offer protection to the victim to ensure his personal security before the case is resolved.
Thank You
Legal & Human Rights Desk
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)
27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Email: saikotbihr@gmail.com, bihr@bangla.net
www.bangladeshinstituteofhumanrights.blogspot.com
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