Update

***French President Hosts Reception for Human Rights Defenders at Élysée Palace***Human Rights Lawyer Shahanur Islam Joins Hands with ARDHIS for Bangladeshi LGBTQI Asylum Seekers in France***New Platform to Fight Discrimination Against LGBTQI+ Community in Bangladesh***Human Rights Advocates Meet with French Ambassador to the Council of Europe ***Bangladesh Needs to Make Further Progress Towards Gender Equality***JusticeMakers Bangladesh calls for justice and protection for religious minorities in Bangladesh***French Human Rights Ambassador Honours HR Defenders at Paris***JusticeMakers Bangladesh is deeply concerned over the harassment against student of Islamic University in Bangladesh***JusticeMakers Bangladesh urges to withdraw the ban of Prity's book "Jonmo O Jonir Itihas" immediately***JusticeMakers Bangladesh expresses deep concern, condemnation and protest over the vandalism 14 Hindu temples in Thakurgaon***JusticeMakers Bangladesh deeply concern over the threat of crossfire to the lawyer Aminul Gani Tito in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the attacked on CEO of BELA***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the disappearance of lawyer in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Urges Immidiate Release of Arrested Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh concerns over viciously attacked on lawyer Abdur Rashid Mollah at Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerned over attacked on indigenous people at Bogura***JusticeMakers Bangladesh welcomes the decision of Metropolitan Magistrate to acquit four Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Protests and concerns Over the Abduction and Torture of Two Trans-women in Meherpur***Shahanur Islam attended the 21st World Summit on Participatory Democracy at Grenoble, France***

WELCOME MESSAGE

Hello, everybody! Welcome to my blog!

I am Shahanur Islam (Saikot), a human rights defender, lawyer, and blogger. I come from Bangladesh and currently reside in Paris as a laureate of the Marianne Initiative for Human Rights Defenders, which was initiated by the President of the Republic of France in 2021. I take great pride in being part of the program's second promotion. Additionally, I am the founder Secretary-General of JusticeMakers Bangladesh (JMBD) and the Founder President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF).

With over 18 years of experience, I have worked extensively in the fields of human rights, the rule of law, criminal justice, good governance, and advocacy at both national and international levels. Throughout my career, my primary focus has been advocating for the rights and well-being of individuals who have endured various forms of violations, especially ethnic, religious, political, and sexual minority communities. My commitment lies in seeking justice for victims of torture, extrajudicial killings, involuntary disappearances, and organized violence in Bangladesh by providing pro bono legal support.

My work goes beyond just representing victims in court. I actively monitor the human rights situation in Bangladesh, document it, prepare monitoring reports, and conduct fact-finding investigations by visiting the scenes of human rights violations. I issue urgent appeals and take actions to bring these issues to the attention of the relevant authorities. Additionally, I frequently release press statements and press releases to raise awareness about specific human rights violations.

I have honed my skills through various capacity-building training programs on health, human rights, legal rights, and legal proceedings at both national and international levels. I actively participate in seminars, meetings, and workshops, both within Bangladesh and abroad.

One of my notable achievements is being the first lawyer in Bangladesh to file cases against RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) and military personnel, alleging torture-induced killings, all on a pro bono basis. Furthermore, I have been a pioneering advocate for the recognition of LGBT rights in Bangladesh, making my voice heard in the Dutch Parliament and the European Parliament.

My contributions extend to the academic realm, where I have presented numerous papers on legal and human rights issues at various seminars, both nationally and internationally, including at the Dutch Parliament and the European Parliament. My articles on these topics have been published in various electronic and print media outlets, such as the Daily JaiJai Din, the Daily Manabzamin, the Daily Songram, and Bangla News 24.com.

Despite my dedication to human rights, I have faced numerous challenges and threats in my pursuit of justice. These threats have included death threats, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, detentions, ill-treatment, physical assaults, and harassment, both from law enforcement and security personnel and from powerful local groups. However, I remain undeterred in my mission to combat torture, extrajudicial killings, organized violence, and uphold the rights of ethnic, religious, social, and sexual minorities in Bangladesh.

In recognition of my efforts, I was honored with the JusticeMakers Fellowship in 2010 by International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), Switzerland. This fellowship was awarded in acknowledgment of my vital role in protecting and promoting human rights, especially in advocating for victims of torture, extrajudicial killings, and the rights of ethnic, religious, political, and sexual minorities in Bangladesh.

Currently, I continue to be deeply involved in human rights advocacy, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to seeking justice for those who have been wronged and marginalized in Bangladesh and beyond.

As part of my life in France, I have founded a non-profit organization called JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF). Our organization's slogan is "Defending Human Rights, Fighting for Social Justice, and Empowering Communities."

The overall objective of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) is to contribute to the defense, promotion, education, protection, and realization of human rights, including civil and political rights, regardless of sex, caste, race, and faith.

The aims of JMBF are to combat all forms of discrimination and impunity against ethnic-Indigenous, religious (Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Ahmadiyya), social (Dalit), and sexual (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex+) minority communities, as well as victims of torture, extrajudicial killing, forced disappearance, and organized violence, including women and children, by providing assistance to individuals throughout Bangladesh who have limited or no access to human rights resources.

In addition, JMBF aims to provide support to human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, bloggers, and artists at risk who are addressing human rights violations in Bangladesh.

JMBF also seeks to facilitate access to existing support services for Bangladeshi-origin asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants living in France.

My proposed activities for JusticeMakers Bangladesh will be divided into two parts. The first part will take place in Bangladesh, and the second part will take place in France.

In Bangladesh, our activities include legal aid, counseling, and advice. We provide direct legal support to victims, which involves representing them in criminal cases and filing cases against the perpetrators. We also engage in public interest litigation to provide access to justice for people who are economically disadvantaged and lack legal knowledge.

Additionally, we offer legal counseling and advice through an integrated legal awareness program for victims who visit our center. Our legal experts inform them about existing legislation, constitutional rights, and international human rights instruments to empower them.

In both Bangladesh and France, we conduct fact-finding investigations to verify allegations of human rights violations. This helps us establish a communication channel and create impartial reports for the benefit of victims, as well as document their cases.

Based on our fact-finding reports, we issue urgent appeals on a national and international level through postal mail, fax, and email. This program aims to disseminate timely and accurate information about individual incidents of human rights violations to raise awareness and exert pressure for their resolution.

Our advocacy program involves lobbying for the removal of reservations on important articles and paragraphs, ratification of international covenants and protocols, and implementation of United Nations declarations. It also involves decriminalization of homosexuality by repealing of 377 of the Penal code and criminalizing conversion therapy.

We engage in lobbying with high-level government authorities and diplomatic missions, as well as exchange views with professionals on these issues throughout the country. We also raise awareness by organizing signature campaigns, human chains, rallies, and roundtable meetings on various specific issues.

Additionally, we conduct training, seminars, and workshops for different professionals, students, survivors, and our staff on human rights, good governance, peace, democracy, and legal empowerment. This helps our staff address critical complaints of victims of human rights violations and fosters social resistance against such violations.

Research and documentation are also essential activities. We research human rights situations in Bangladesh and publish the "State of Minority Human Rights." We also release monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports on human rights situations to encourage the government to take necessary action against perpetrators and to shape public opinion against human rights violations.

We operate a documentation center focused on gathering data on human rights abuses from secondary sources, primarily local and national newspapers.

Finally, we utilize publications as a tool against human rights violations and for the dissemination of knowledge and sharing of experiences related to human rights violations among our readers. We publish a Bangla newsletter and a quarterly English-language newsletter.

We also regularly release human rights situation reports, annual reports, leaflets, posters, stickers, handbills, research papers, and books as needed.

To prevent human rights violations, we maintain close relationships and cooperation with other human rights organizations, local foreign embassies, different professionals, and individuals at national and international levels.

We meet with local lawyers' associations, doctors' associations, NGO leaders, journalists' associations, and other professionals and collaborate with international organizations, various embassies, and the UN Human Rights Body.

Finally, we establish a hotline for receiving information on human rights violations promptly through network members, victims, members of their families, or any other person. This hotline is open at all times to respond to any cases of human rights violations.

Your support can make a real difference in the lives of victims of human rights violations in Bangladesh. We invite you to join us in our efforts by donating to our cause, spreading the word about our work, and advocating for human rights in your own communities. Together, we can create a world where human rights are respected and protected for all.

Shahanur Islam 
Founder President 
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF)
107 Rue Galleini 
93000 Bobigny, France
WhatsUp/Cell: +330783952315
Email: saikotbihr@gmail.com