Would Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu Have Been Arrested If He Had Remained Silent?

Advocate Shahanur Islam & Mosa. Jannatul Ferdaus

The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu, a revered Hindu monk and vocal minority rights advocate in Bangladesh, has sparked intense debates on justice, dissent, and minority rights. Charged with sedition and allegedly desecrating the national flag during a protest against violence targeting Hindus, Prabhu’s detention raises a critical question: Would he have faced the same fate had he remained silent about the suffering of the Hindu minority?

STATEMENT: JMBF is Deeply Concerned and Condemns the Killing of Lawyer Saiful Islam and Police Brutality During Protests in Chittagong

Paris, France; November 28, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) unequivocally expresses its deep concern and condemnation of the brutal killing of lawyer Saiful Islam, a 32-year-old member of the Chattogram District Bar Association and Assistant Public Prosecutor at the Chattogram Court, during the violent clashes on November 26, 2024. This heinous crime, committed amid a chaotic confrontation between law enforcement and protesters supporting Hindu religious leader and Spokesperson of the United Sanatoni Jagoran Alliance, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, is a grave attack on justice and the legal community.

JMBF also strongly denounces police brutality during the protests, where law enforcement agencies, including the police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), resorted to batons and sound grenades, injuring at least 10 people. The indiscriminate violence against protesters is a clear violation of their fundamental rights to peaceful assembly and expression. Such actions only exacerbate tensions and undermine the rule of law.

STATEMENT: JMBF Deeply Concerned and Condemns the Arrest and Detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das: Urges Immediate Unconditional Release

Paris, France; November 26, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a France-based human rights organization, expresses its profound outrage and strongest condemnation of the unjust arrest and detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a revered Hindu priest and leading advocate for minority rights in Bangladesh.

His abrupt apprehension on November 25, 2024, at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka and subsequent transfer to Chattogram under fabricated charges of sedition, represent yet another dark chapter in the systematic suppression of minority voices and democratic freedoms in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

STATEMENT: JMBF Gravely Concerned About Rising Assaults on Bangladesh’s Cultural and Spiritual Freedom

Paris, France; November 24, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the rising wave of religious extremism and cultural repression in Bangladesh, as highlighted by the cancellation of the ‘Mahati Sadhu Sangh and Lalon Fair’ on November 21, 2024, and the systematic attacks on sacred shrines and spiritual practices across the country. These incidents represent a grave assault on Bangladesh’s pluralistic heritage and an alarming shift toward intolerance under the interim government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus since August 8, 2024.

STATEMENT: JMBF Strongly Condemns Continuous Extrajudicial Killings Under the Interim Government of Bangladesh

Paris, France; November 22, 2024 – JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the alarming trend of continuous extrajudicial killings under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, which assumed power on August 8, 2024. These heinous acts of state violence, carried out by law enforcement agencies, including the army and joint police forces, represent gross violations of the Constitution, human rights, the rule of law, and international standards of justice.

JMBF Statement on Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) 2024

Paris, France; November 20, 2024- On this Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) 2024, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) solemnly honors the memory of transgender individuals who have tragically lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. While this day serves as a global observance, we particularly focus on the alarming rise in violence against transgender people in Bangladesh, where systemic discrimination and religious intolerance continue to devastate the transgender community.

Robert Simon, Chief Adviser of JMBF, emphasizes, "In Bangladesh, transgender individuals, particularly Hijra and other gender-diverse communities, suffer from relentless violence, social exclusion, and denial of basic human rights. Many are deprived of access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, forcing them into precarious and vulnerable situations. As we remember those we have lost, we renew our unwavering commitment to fighting against these injustices."