BANGLADESH: ENSURE THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND PROPER TREATMENT OF GENERAL SECRETARY OF BANGLADESH AWAMI LEAGUE
BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF HUAMAN RIGHTS URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME
URGENT APPEAL CASE: BIHR UA-2007-05-29
DATE: May 29, 2007
ISSUE: Arbitrary arrest and detention; abuse of preventive detention under the state of emergency ==================================
URGENT APPEAL BANGLADESH: Ensure the immediate release and proper treatment of the General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League.
URGENT APPEAL BANGLADESH: Ensure the immediate release and proper treatment of the General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League.
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Dear Friends, Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) has received information of alleged arbitrary arrest and detention under the Special Power Act (SPA), 1974 in Bangladesh. We were informed that Mr. Abdul Jalil, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League party as well as the Former Minister of Trade Affairs, was arbitrarily arrested on 28 May 2007. The BIHR is deeply concerned that political activist is being subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention by the present caretaker government after the state of emergency was declared in January 2007.
BIOGRAPHY:
Name of the Victim : Mr.Abdul Jalil, Organizer of Independent War and Former Trade Minister of Bangladesh.
Political Position : General Secretary, Bangladesh Awami League
Date of Detain : 28 May 2007
Time of Detain : Around 3:45pm Place from Detain : Head Office, Mercantile Bank LTD, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka.
FACT:
The army-led joint forces in a sudden move took Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil, into custody on 28 May.2007. It could not be ascertained immediately where the Awami League General Secretary was taken and on what charges he had been taken into the custody of joint forces. Jalil was picked up from his Mercantile Bank office in Motijheel around 3:45pm while he was presiding over an internal meeting of the bank.
STATEMENT OF JALIL’S CHAUFFEUR: Jalil's chauffeur Faruq said, “The forces searched through Jalil's residence in Gulshan for two hours yesterday evening taking away four passports and documents related to properties and bank transactions.”
STATEMENT OF MERKANTILE BANK OFFICER: Mercantile Bank officials said two members of the joint forces arrived at the bank and entered the office saying that they needed to meet Jalil. The AL general secretary, who is also the chairman of the bank, sitting in his office over the last few days had been talking about a felt necessity for bringing reforms not only to political parties but also to the government and parliament.
STATMENTOF THE SECURITY CHIEF OF THE BANK: Security chief of the bank, Ali Akbar, told that two army officers arrived there around 3:45pm and asked Jalil to go with them. He again said, “After a little while Jalil left the office with them”
STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF BANGLADESH AWAMI LEAGUE:
Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina and former prime Minister of the People Republic of Bangladesh Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has said the ongoing anti-corruption drive has virtually turned out to be one against politics and politicians.In her reaction to the press over the arrest of her party's general secretary Abdul Jalil at her Sudha Sadan residence on 28 May 2007, she said instead of apprehending the real corrupts, honest and efficient politicians were being detained which would not be accepted by the people. "At a time when MA Jalil came up with remarks on reforms, he has been arrested. He sent letters to foreign missions to know about reforms in their countries. This kind of letters does not fall under the purview of politics. Does not it fall under politics when some people announce floating of a new political party taking meals in a Chinese restaurant?" Sheikh Hasina said adding: "People want to know about the progress on reform programmes." The Awami League chief demanded immediate release of those detained leaders of Awami League including her party's general secretary Abdul Jalil.She said good governance prevails in a country where the government is regarded as the servant of its people and the Awami League government served the nation as its servant during its five-year rule when nobody could point fingers at her party stalwarts (ministers) about indulging in corruption and when prices of essentials remained stable. "If the ministers of Awami League government were found involved in corruption then the previous BNP-led alliance government would not have spared them. The alliance government could not even bring any corruption charge against the ministers of my cabinet," the former Prime Minister said. "How they (the present caretaker government) would hold free, fair and credible election in the country. There is a verdict of the Supreme Court on updating the voter list but why the work on the electoral enrolment project could not be completed in four and a half months, people want to know," the Awami League President said adding that the present caretaker government and the Election Commission would have to answer this to the nation. Referring to the Constitution, she said the duration of the State of Emergency is 120 days, which has expired. But how the country is running now and where the country is heading for? She asked. Sheikh Hasina said, "Although the present caretaker government is the fruit of our movement, it has been using steam rollers against us. People want a healthy democratic environment and the parliamentary election at the earliest. They no more want to witness a suffocating situation in the country."
STAMENT OF OTHER PROMINENT POLITICAL LEADERS:
Arrest of Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil, who had just taken initiative for reforms in the party, has come as a surprise to the political leaders. The political leaders think the veteran politician's arrest is linked with his recent statements calling for withdrawal of the ban on indoor politics but most of them declined to make any comment on the record, fearing that it might create difficulties for them. STATEMENT OF
RASHED KHAN MENON: Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon told "Arrest of Abdul Jalil has made us worried as he is working for positive changes in politics as well as for holding a free and fair election. Such arrest of political leaders will not bring positive result in future,"
STATEMENT OF HASANUL HAQUE ENU: Hasanul Haque Inu President of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, said, "Abdul Jalil is a front line leader and a fair politician of the country. And so, the authorities should make public the reason of his arrest without any delay."
STATEMENT OF INTILIGENCE AGENCIES:
Intelligence agencies hinted that a few more political bigwigs might be detained in the course of the third phase of the ongoing drive since the caretaker government had assumed the state power on February 12.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Abdul Jalil is a prominent politician in Bangladesh and general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League. He was organizer of independent war of Bangladesh and a dedicated student leader before taking responsibility as minister. He has no record of criminal or conspiracy against country or patronizing the terrorist activities and involved in destructive action or influencing and mobilizing the slum people against the rule of law and law and order in previous. He was arrested and imposed detention intentionally only for ideological rivality and to harass politically. The action taken by the state is threatened upon his life and political carrier. It is clearly abusage of power of government. This case is an example that how the political leaders are targeted by the gov’t for the arbitrary arrest and detention under the state of emergency. The government has used this chance to arrest and detain Abdul Jalil, who is a popular political and social leader with false and vague allegation of anti-state activities, in order to harm his credibility and disgrace his social developmental activities as well as creating fear and panic among the politician. Still, there is no fundamental and human rights in Bangladesh. Joint forces led by army are arresting political leaders with out any allegation and present situation of Bangladesh has been turned in to out of rule of law.
SUGESTED ACTION: Please write to the relevant local authorities and express your deep concern about this case. Please urge the immediate release of the two victims. Please also urge the caretaker government to immediately remove the state of emergency and release the detainees arbitrary arrested during the period of the state of the emergency.
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Prof. Iajuddin Ahmed President People's Republic of Bangladesh Bangabhaban, Dhaka BANGLADESH Tel: +880 2 9568041, 7161501/A, 8311202/ 7161503/A Fax: +880 2 9566242 or 9566593
2. Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed Chief Adviser Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Office of the Chief Advisor Tejgaon, Dhaka BANGLADESH Tel: +880 2 8828160-79, 9888677 Fax: +880 2 8113244 or 3243 or 1015 or 1490
3. Mr. Sayed J. R. Modassir Hossain Chief Justice The Supreme Court of Bangladesh Supreme Court Building Ramna, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH Tel: +880 2 9562792 Fax: +880 2 9565058
4. Mr. Fida M Kamal Attorney General of Bangladesh Office of the Attorney General Supreme Court Building Ramna, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH Tel: +880 2 9562868 Fax: +880 2 9561568
5. Barrister Moinul Hossain Adviser Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Bangladesh Secretariat Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH Tel: +88-02-7160627 (O) Fax: +88-02-7168557 (O)
6. Mr. Nur Mohammad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bangladesh Police Police Headquarters' Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH Tel: +880 2 9562054 or 7176451 or 7176677 Fax: +880 2 9563362 or 9563363
Thank you.
Shahanur Islam
Advocate
Urgent Appeals Programme
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)
27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
E-mail:saikotbihr@gmail.com; bihr@bangla.net
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