URGENT APPEAL: Immediately Ensure the Security of Human Rights Defender; Investigate Cases of Intimidations and Bring the Culprits before the justice.

BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RIGHTS: URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME 

URGENT APPEAL CASE: BIHR-IUA-02-03-2009 

DATE: March 22, 2009 ====================================== 

BANGLADESH: Immediately Ensure the Security of Human Rights Defender; Investigate Cases of Intimidations and Bring the Culprits before the justice. ======================================= 

Dear Friends, Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights has been received a fact-finding report conducted by the high level fact-finding team of BIHR regarding to a prominent human rights defender and lawyer in Bangladesh once again received his life threats. He filed General Diary (G.D.) to the concerned police station but no appropriate action has been taken yet even no investigation has been conducted. BIHR urges your immediate intervention to immediately ensure his security as well as investigate this alleged incident credibly and bring the alleged culprits before the justice in accordance with the law. 

BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 

Name of the Victim : Adv. Shahanur Islam Saikot (28), Secretary General and Executive Director of Bangladesh Centre for human Rights and Development (BCHRD), Programme Manager of Legal and Human Rights Affairs at Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims (BRCT), Member of Bangladesh Bar Council and District Bar Association in Dhaka. During the time of his duties, he conducted many investigations and fact-finding missions on human rights violations as well as issued local and international urgent appeals requesting attention to concerned authorities. He filed many cases against the perpetrators as a lawyer and some of them have been punished. Date & Time of the Incident :i) March 18, 2009, around at 11.15 a.m. ii) ) March 19, 2009, around at 11.53 a.m 

FACT DETAILS: 

 On March 18, 2009 around at 11.15 a.m. when Mr. Shahanur Islam Saikot was working at Bangladesh Institution Human Rights at 27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, he received a call from a person; the cell phone number was displayed as 01937690054. Mr. Islam asked the caller to identify himself. The caller did so only as Billu and starting to verbally abuse him. In response Mr. Islam inquired as to the reason of the call and the purpose of the vulgar language. Billu replied by threatening to kill Mr. Islam On March 19, 2009 Mr. Shahanur again received call from the same phone Number. Once again the caller identified himself as Billu and begun to verbally abuse him and threatened him to kill immediately. He also warned him to take mental preparation about his death. The phone call deeply disturbed and frightened Mr. Islam who in response immediately filed a General Diary at the Peltan Police Station of DMP (Paltan Police Station G. D. No-1409; Dated: 19.03.2009). In it he made a statement about the two threats he received over the phone. 

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Islam has had his life threatened on previous occasions. On February 28th, 2009 at 11.28 a.m., while Mr. Shahanur Islam Saikot was working at his desk at the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights, (BIHR) he received a phone call. Mr. Islam asked the caller to identify himself. The caller did so only as Pintu and starting to verbally abuse him. In response Mr. Islam inquired as to the reason of the call and the purpose of the vulgar language. Pintu replied by threatening to murder Mr. Islam by way of a gun shot to the head. Mr. Islam received a second phone call at 11.32 a.m. Once again the caller identified himself at Pintu and begun to verbally abuse him. This time, the caller stated that not only does he intend to murder him, but that he intends to do so that same day. The phone conversation ended with Pintu advising Mr. Islam to mentally prepare for his impending death.

The phone call deeply disturbed and frightened Mr. Islam who in response immediately filed a General Diary at the Peltan Police Station of DMP (No-2281). In it he made a statement about the two threats he received over the phone.

On March 01st, 2009 at 9.52 a.m., Pintu called Mr. Islam again and restated his threat to murder, this time claiming he would do so immediately.

On August 29th, 2008 at 10.17 p.m. he was working at his desk at the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights office, when an unidentified person called him. The caller demanded to know Mr. Islam’s identity and location. For personal security reasons Mr. Islam declined answering the caller’s inquiries and instead demanded the same information from the caller. This angered the caller who replied by stating that he could not disclose his identity at the moment. He did, however, state that he is a higher authority of law enforcing agencies. The caller further said that he would disclose his identity and punish Mr. Islam at the earliest possible time. Following these statements, the caller continued on by stating that he knows who Mr. Islam is but does not know his residential address. He further threatened Mr. Islam by claiming that he would come to his home and subject him to punishment. The caller ended the conversation by stating that Mr. Islam would be facing more suffering soon. Following the incident Mr. Islam filed General Diary at the Paltan Police Station in DMP (No-2014). 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: 

This is not any isolated instance of such threats on journalists or human rights defenders in Bangladesh. It is a very common phenomenon for the professionals like journalists and human rights defenders of Bangladesh facing death threats from the law-enforcing agencies and security forces. It is well-known that Bangladesh has cultivated one of the best cultures of impunity to alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses despite the nation’s presence in the UN Human Rights Council since May 2006. Instead of improving the country’s human rights records the government of Bangladesh has paved the ways to degrade the rights of the citizens through various means of violations. 

SUGESTED ACTION: Please write letters to the relevant authorities to take immediate measures to ensure personal security of the victims as well as other human rights activists. Particularly, in order to deter further harassment to Adv. Shahanur, the police should probe the owner(s) of the cell phone nos. mentioned above and conduct effective investigation over the case. The perpetrator(s) must be punished in accordance to law. In addition, the police should offer protection to the victim to ensure his personal security before the case is resolved. 

SAMPLE LETTER 

 Dear -------------------, 

Sub: Urge to Immediately Ensure the Security of Human Rights Defender; Investigate Cases of Intimidations and Bring the Culprits before the justice. 

I am informed by an organization in Bangladesh that Adv. Shahanur Islam Saikot once again received death threats on March 18 and 19, 2009. I am writing to express our concern over this case and urge the police to conduct full and effective investigation. The victim of intimidation, Adv. Shahanur Islam, is the Program Manager of Legal and Human Rights Affairs at Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR). He is also affiliated with Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development, Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims, and Member of Bangladesh Bar Council and Dhaka Bar Association. When he was working at the BIHR office at 11.15 a.m. on March 18, 2009, he received a call from a person, the cell phone number was displayed as 01937690054. Mr. Islam asked the caller to identify himself. The caller did so only as Billu and starting to verbally abuse him. In response Mr. Islam inquired as to the reason of the call and the purpose of the vulgar language. Billu replied by threatening to kill Mr. Islam. On March 19, 2009 Mr. Shahanur again received call from the same phone Number. Once again the caller identified himself as Billu and begun to verbally abuse him and threatened him to kill immediately. He also warned him to take mental preparation about his death. Likewise, several death threats were received by Adv. Shahanur on 28 February 2008, 01 march 2009 and 29 August 2008. Adv. Shahanur is a human rights defender and has been active in documenting and investigating cases of human rights violations. He also widely disseminates those cases through urgent appeals nationally and internationally. I worry that the death threats that the victim received may relate to his endeavor in exposing the human rights violations in Bangladesh. I sincerely urge the police to take immediate measures to ensure the personal security of the victims as well as other human rights activists. Particularly, in order to deter further harassment to Adv. Shahanur, the police should probe the owner(s) of the cell phone nos. mentioned above and conduct effective investigation over the case. The perpetrator(s) must be punished in accordance to law. In addition, the police should offer protection to the victim to ensure his personal security before the case is resolved. Thank you for your attention and we look forward to your favorable response to this issue. 

 Yours faithfully, ----------------------- 

  PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: 

 1. Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Office of the Prime Minister Tejgaon, Dhaka BANGLADESH Fax: +880 2 811 3244 / 3243 / 1015 / 1490 Tel: +880 2 882 816 079 / 988 8677 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.bd or psecy@pmo.gov.bd 2. Mr. Mohammad Ruhul Amin Chief Justice Supreme Court of Bangladesh Supreme Court Building Ramna, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH

Fax: +880 2 956 5058 Tel: +880 2 956 2792 3. Mr. Shafik Ahmed Minister

Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Bangladesh Secretariat Dhaka-1000BANGLADESH

Fax: +880 2 7168557 (O) Tel: +880 2 7160627 (O) 4. Ms. Shahara Khatun Minister Ministry of Home Affairs Bangladesh Secretariat Dhaka-1000BANGLADESH

Fax: +88-02-7160405, 88-02-7164788 (O) Tel: +88-02-7169069 (O) 5. Mr. Mahbube Alam Attorney General of Bangladesh Office of the Attorney General Supreme Court Building Ramna, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESHFax: +880 2 956 1568 Tel: +880 2 956 2868 6. General Moeen U Ahmed Chief of Army Staff Bangladesh Army Army Headquarters Dhaka Cantonment DhakaBANGLADESHFax: +880 2 875 4455 Tel: +880 2 987 0011 E-mail: itdte@army.mil.bd 7. Mr. Nur Mohammad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bangladesh Police Police Headquarters' Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000 BANGLADESH

Fax: +880 2 956 3362 / 956 3363 Tel: +880 2 956 2054 / 717 6451 / 717 6677 E-mail: ig@police.gov.bd 8. Mr. Hassan Mahmud Khandokar Director General (DG) Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) RAB Headquarter Uttara, Dhaka BANGLADESH

Fax: +880 2 896 2884 (O) Tel: +880 2 896 1105 (O) E-mail: dg_rab@rab.gov.bd Thank You Urgent Appeal Programme Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) Saj Bhaban, 27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Email: saikotbihr@gmail.com, bihr@bangla.net www.bangladeshinstituteofhumanrights.blogspot.com