URGENT APPEAL: (Update) Ensure the immediate release and proper treatment of the General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League

BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF HUAMAN RIGHTS URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME 

URGENT APPEAL CASE: (Update) BIHR UA-2007-06-03 

DATE: June 03, 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. 

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Dear Friends, 

Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) has received updated information of alleged arbitrary arrest and detention under the Special Power Act (SPA), 1974 from 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 victim is currently being detained in preventive detention under section 3(1) of SPA. The BIHR is deeply concerned that political activist is being subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention by the caretaker government after the state of emergency was declared in January 2007.

SPECIAL REPORT: Grenade Attacks on Bangladesh Awami League's Peaceful Assembly 2004

1. Introduction: 

With the evolution of human civilization, the world is committed to upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The people of Bangladesh are firmly determined to establish a democratic nation, free from violations of human rights, exploitation, poverty, oppression, and ethnic and religious discrimination, by upholding the rule of law. However, an evil force has been attempting to disrupt the continuity of democratic practice. In pursuit of their objective, they consider Sheikh Hasina—a popular leader, President of the Awami League, Leader of the Opposition, daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh—a committed political personality for democracy, human rights, secularism, and the rule of law, along with all senior party leaders and workers, as their prime enemies. On many occasions, they have attempted to kill Sheikh Hasina and other senior party leaders. The massive grenade attack on August 21, 2004, targeting the life of Sheikh Hasina and committing acts of genocide, was part of the same sequence of that evil design to annihilate democratic leadership.