European attorneys seek protection for LGBTQ activist Bangladeshi lawyer

European lawyers are urging the prime minister of Bangladesh to protect a Bangladeshi attorney whose gay-rights activism has made him the target of death threats.

The president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Oct. 19, seeking protection for attorney/activist Shahanur Islam.

In the letter, the CCBE “respectfully urges Your Excellency to do everything in your power to urgently provide adequate protection to lawyer Shahanur Islam and his family, since it is believed that this continuous acts of threats and harassment are based on his legitimate activities as a human rights lawyer.”

JusticeMakers Bangladesh deeply concerned over the killing of trans-woman in Rangpur.

Bangladeshi human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh has expressed deep concern and aggrieved over the killing of the sexual minority transgender community people in Rangpur, northern part of Bangladesh.

At the same time, JusticeMakers Bangladesh has demanded that to give exemplary punishment to the criminal involved in the brutal murder of the transgender woman after quick and impartial investigation.

OIAD ALERT: New death threats against Shahanur Islam, lawyer, human rights defender

Recently, Shahanur Islam, a Bangladeshi lawyer known for his human rights work, has suffered ongoing death threats against him and his family with impunity.

On 25 August 2022 Mr Islam received a threatening message in english on his phone from an unidentified number. The message threatened to kill the lawyer and his family if he continued to fight for LGBT rights in Bangladesh. On 8 September 2022, a new threatening text message was received by the lawyer.

গাইবান্ধায় দলিত কিশোরী ধর্ষণের ঘটনায় মানবাধিকার প্রতিষ্ঠান জাস্টিসমেকার্স বাংলাদেশের উদ্বেগ ও প্রতিবাদ

গাইবান্ধার ফুলছড়ি উপজেলায় বুদ্ধি প্রতিবন্ধী দলিত (রবিদাস জনগোষ্ঠী) কিশোরী ধর্ষণের ঘটনায় মানবাধিকার প্রতিষ্ঠান জাস্টিসমেকার্স বাংলাদেশ গভীর উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ করেছে।

একই সাথে উল্লেখিত ধর্ষণের সাথে জড়িত ধর্ষনকারীদের অনতিবিলম্বে গ্রেফতার ও দৃষ্টান্তমূলক শাস্তির দাবী করেছে জাস্টিসমেকার্স বাংলাদেশ।

CCBE urgent to PM of Bangladesh on intensifying threats against lawyer Shahanur Islam

I am writing to you on behalf of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents the bars and law societies of 46 countries, and through them more than 1 million European lawyers. The CCBE places great emphasis on respect for human rights and the rule of law and is particularly concerned with the situation of human rights defenders around the world.

Law Society of England and Wales Raises Concerns Over Threats to Bangladeshi Lawyer Shahanur Islam

The Law Society of England and Wales, a professional body representing approximately 200,000 solicitors, has expressed deep concerns regarding the ongoing threats and harassment faced by Bangladeshi lawyer Shahanur Islam. On 16 November , in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, the Law Society called for immediate action to safeguard Mr. Islam and uphold the rule of law.

Shahanur Islam serves as the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights and Justice Makers Bangladesh. Throughout his career, he has been an ardent defender of the rights of ethnic, religious, and LGBTI minorities, as well as opposition politicians. Regrettably, he has been a target of multiple threats, intimidation, physical assault, and arrest dating back to 2008.