|
| Bangladesh: Monthly Human Rights Report (March 2010) |
|
|
|
Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD)
Monthly Human Rights Report |
Bangladesh, March 2010
|
|
|
|
|
Bangladesh made history this month when
becoming the first South Asian country to ratify the ICC Rome Statute
(International Criminal Court) on the 23rd of March. GHRD welcomes this
important step towards promoting international justice. However, during
the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Election held on the 24th and 25th of
March none of the four minority candidates, one of them being GHRD’s
local observer Mr. Rabindra Ghosh, was selected. There were three
panels from different political affiliations including Awami League and
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Several incidents of religious
attacks that occurred during the month bore witness to the rising
tension between the different religious groups in Bangladesh. |
|
|
|
GHRD’s Partners in South Asia Celebrated International Women’s Day
Find a full report on International Women’s Day in Bangladesh on our website |
|
|
|
Breaking News! |
|
|
|
Bangladesh Ratifies the Rome Statute of the ICC
The
Bangladesh government ratified the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court on the 23rd of March. Bangladesh is the first country in
the South Asian region to join the ICC and thus makes an important step
in the path to end impunity of international crime. Many civil
organisations in Bangladesh had been promoting the ICC and lobbying for
the ratification for over 10 years. Now, Bangladesh is the 111th state
to ratify the ICC, the world's only independent, permanent court with
the jurisdiction to try genocide, crimes against humanity and war
crimes. |
|
|
|
| The ratification can be seen as an important
signal indicating that the Bangladesh Government is serious about
ending impunity and guaranteeing human rights. Catherine Ashton, the
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission stated:
“The European Union has long supported the ratification by Bangladesh
of the Rome Statute and I am convinced that Bangladesh will make a
highly valuable contribution to the Court's work”. |
The Coalition for the ICC, 24th of March 2010
Expatica, 24th of March 2010
Odhikar, 22nd of March 2010
The
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, 26th of
March 2010
|
Fact Finding and Legal Assistance |
16 year old Hindu girl gang raped by at least 8 Muslim men
19th of March, Patuakhali district
A
16 year old Hindu girl was raped by at least 8 Muslim men when she and
her brother were on their way to a relative. The girl and her brother
were stopped by the perpetrators who assaulted the victim’s brother and
looted their belongings. The girl was taken away about 10 to15
kilometres from the Boufol police station where she was gang raped. The
girl filed a complaint at the Boufol Police Station on the 20th of
March and two of the accused have been arrested so far. GHRD has been
in contact with the local police. The Officer in Charge of the Boufol
police station communicated that the girl had been given medical
treatment and that they are doing everything they can to bring the
remaining accused to justice. |
The Daily Amader Somoy, 21st of March 2010
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), 22nd of March 2010
|
|
Police inaction leaving a Hindu man killed
4th of March, Dhaka
A
35 year old Hindu man, Mr. Prem Krishna Roy, was shot by approximately
five to six perpetrators, one of them a known criminal. Before he was
murdered Mr. Roy had received numerous death threats. On 14th of
February, he filed a complaint at the Kotwali Police Station fearing
for his life and asking for protection. However, no action was taken.
On the 4th of March between 5 to 6 unidentified armed assailants shot
Mr. Roy. A complaint has been filed and the case is now under
investigation. GHRD initiated a fact-finding mission on 12th March and
contacted the victim’s family. The Officer in Charge at Kotwali Police
Station could not answer why Mr. Roy’s complaint had not been addressed
in time to save his life. Allegedly one of the accused perpetrators has
been arrested. |
|
|
|
|
Recent incidents of religiously motivated attacks against Hindus |
|
|
|
GHRD notes with concern that religiously
motivated violence and intolerance against Hindus continues in
Bangladesh. GHRD is currently investigating three incidents of recent
attacks against Hindu temples occurring during the last two weeks. On
the 9th of March a group of unidentified perpetrators set fire to a
hundred year old Hindu temple and statues of deities were destroyed in
the district of Sylhet. It is suspected that local Muslim landgrabbers
set fire to the temple to create panic and encourage members of the
Hindu community to leave the area.
The second incident occurred on
the 21st of March in a Hindu village at Dhanua, of the Chandpur
district. It is reported that the love affair between a Hindu boy and a
Muslim girl living in the same locality led furious Muslim inhabitants
of that locality to attack the Hindu village. A temple was destroyed
and religious images and belongings were also looted. Some of the
Hindus also had their houses destroyed and ten people were assaulted. A
complaint was filed on the 23rd of March but so far only two
perpetrators have been arrested. The Officer in Charge of the Faridganj
Police Station claimed that the temple was not destroyed but only some
religious deities.
The third incident took place at Kaliazuri
Upazila Sadar of Netrakona district and was reported in the Daily
Jugantor on the 24th of March. A member of the ruling party Awami
League and his brother forcefully occupied the lands were the Hindu
Kali temple was located and started constructing multi-storeyed
buildings there. The local police informed GHRD that they are going to
take necessary action in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. |
|
|
|
The Daily Jugantor, 24th of March 2010
The Daily Samakal, 22nd of March 2010
The Daily Sabuj Sylhet, 10th of March 2010
|
Information on university gang rape is suppressed by teachers
6th of March, Dhaka
On
the 6th of March a girl was gang raped on the premises of the Jangir
Nagar University, were both the girl and the perpetrators are students.
It was around 9 p.m. on the 6th of March when the girl was walked home
by a student when he and his friends gang raped her. After the incident
the girl was taken to the hospital. The girl had lost a lot of blood
and the operation took about four hours. It is reported that teachers
of the perpetrators are trying to protect them by telling journalists
not to report the incident and by suppressing important information in
this case. Also the Chairman of the department to which the
perpetrators belong said that so far he had not received any
allegations against the perpetrators. If he does the Academic Council
will take action. Supposedly the girl is being denied shelter in her
own village. Her stepbrother refuses to file complaint with the
Academic Council against the perpetrators. |
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), 17th of March 2010
|
16 year old abducted Hindu girl recovered with the help of GHRD Dhaka
28th of February, Joypurhat.
A
16 year old Hindu girl was abducted on the 28th of February by four
perpetrators. Later that day the father of the girl lodge a complaint
at the local police station. GHRD, who was informed about the abduction
the same day of the incident, spoke to the local police and requested
them to take action. This resulted in the arrest of three of the
perpetrators and the recovery of the girl. According to the girl she
was abducted with the intent of forced conversion to Islam. GHRD will
continue to monitor the case.
Leaders belonging to Awami League forcefully occupied the house of a Hindu family
26th of February, Perojpur District
An
Awami League leader together with around 40 to 50 perpetrators
forcefully occupied the land of a Hindu man in the Motabair
Municipality. A temple was also set on fire. The Hindu man filed a
complaint at the Motbaria Police Station on the 27th of March but no
action was taken to prevent the landgrabbers or to protect the man. He
also filed another complaint, also on the 27th, concerning the
continuous threats he received from the landgrabbers but yet again
nothing was done. The Awami League leader claimed at a press conference
that he did not occupy the land, but bought it on the 27th of January.
The
police informed GHRD that a case had been registered against the
accused. The Awami League leader also contacted GHRD to claim his
innocence saying he obtained the land legally. However, he was unable
to produce any documents stating this claim. |
Urgent Appeals |
Police inaction leaving a Hindu man killed [UA-BA-12.03.2010] |
A hundred year old Hindu temple set on fire and valuables looted in Sylhet District [UA-BA-22.03.2010] |
NGO and Media Reports |
|
|
Local Observers and Partners |
| GHRD Dhaka conducts fact finding investigations
and provides legal assistance to minority victims of human rights
violations in Bangladesh. In addition GHRD Dhaka, collaborates with
Parittran (Dalit Rights), Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights,
Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims and Bangladesh
Minority Watch. |
GHRD Dhaka, Observer Advocate Rabindra Ghosh 3/2 Purana Paltan – Purana Paltan P.S, Dhaka-1000 Phone nr : + 0711172468
Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) 12, K.M. Das Lane- Tikatully- Bholagiri Trust- Sutrapur PS, Dhaka.Telephone: 0088-01711172468, bdmw.org. |
|
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights
(BIHR) 27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh, Cell:+8801720308080;
Phone: + 88 02 9349851, Fax:+88028352166; Email:bihr@bangla.net,
saikotbihr@gmail.com, bihr-bihr.blogspot.com .
Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims (BRCT) 27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh, Phone nr: +88 02 934 9851, Fax: +88 02 831 5912, Email: brct@citechco.net, brct.org .
Parittran,
Laksmanpur, P. O.: Shubhashini – 9420 P.S.: Tala, Satkhira, Phone nr:
+8801713425610 Email: dalit_bd@yahoo.com parittran@yahoo.com, dalitbangladesh.wordpress.com. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source:http://www.ghrd.org/pagina.asp?ID=3761
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment