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***

My Activities


My approach to legal aid is a community-centered: I work with different grassroots organizations, including peasant and farmer groups, industrial labourers and factory workers, small fishermen, women, children, minorities, urban poor and rural journalists. In its casework, I assist in cases of cruelty to women, children, minorities, torture, organized violence and gross violation of human rights. My programs and services include: (i) Legal Research: compiling, systematizing and monitoring laws, policies, pronouncements and other official acts which fall within my areas of concern; (ii) a Paralegal Training Programme; (iii) Legislative and Policy Reforms: helping grassroots organizations formulate and draft position papers, propose legislation and implement guidelines and bringing them to the attention of appropriate government authorities; (iv) Press-Pressure and Urgent Action: which involves generating publicity in different media about incidents of human rights violations, and letters of appeal to relevant agencies; (v) Fact-Finding missions to document human rights violations; and (vi) Legal Literacy: publication of handbooks and a training manual on human rights.

Legal Assistance:
I provide legal assistance being sympathetic and perceiving feelings by legal counseling and direct legal aid through releasing bay bail, file case against perpetrators, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and. It’s target group the people who don not have access to justice due to their poor economic condition and lack of knowledge.


Direct Legal Aid:
The direct law support to victims is one of the important visible and sustainable activities by releasing the victims from jail/custody, filing case against perpetrators and also Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to promote and protect human rights of the people. I provides direct legal aid to file case against Law Enforcing Agencies (LEA).
Legal Counseling:
I provide legal counseling to the victim of violation by integrated legal awareness programme among the victims coming to me. As a legal expert, I provide information about existing legislation and rights given in our constitution and international human rights instrument regarding to make a victim empowered.


Fact-Finding and Investigation:
I observe the procedures to find the true torture victims and violation of human rights having verified through fact-finding process. Fact-finding helps to build a communication and an impartial report for the well being of the victims as well as to the justice as a document. Fact-finding is a process of verifying the allegations of torture and human rights violation whether the allegations are true or false. I prepare impartial report by conducting fact finding mission and disseminate it to concerned authority.

Urgent Appeal:


Urgent Appeal Programme is an important human rights tool and forma the core of the advocacy programme of me.  I issues urgent appeal in national and international level by post fax and email on basis of fact finding report with the objective of disseminating timely and accurate information about individual incidents of human rights violation to as wide an audience as possible, thereby building international as well as local awareness and pressure towards their resolution
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Training, Seminar and Work Shop:

I always gives due importance of capacity to cope with critical complains of the victims of human rights violation. Moreover for creating social resistance against human rights violations, I conducts training, seminar and workshop among different professionals, students, survivors and its stuffs on human rights, good governance, peace, democracy and legal empowerment. I also attend difference training, seminar, workshop, meeting on legal and human rights as the part of my own capacity building.

Lobbying, Campaign & Advocacy:

 Lobbying for the removal of reservation of article 14 of the Convention against torture (CAT), articles 14, paragraphs 1 and 21 of CRC, art. 2 and art. 16 (1) (c)  of CEDAW, ratification of the optional protocol of the CAT (OPCAT), Implementation of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Declaration on human rights defenders is  an on going Challenge of me. I take opportunity to conduct lobbying with government high authorities and diplomatic mission and also exchange views with professionals on these issues all over the country. I also continue awareness programme through observances of significant days as 26th June : UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 8th March: International Women’s Day, 10th  October: World Mental health Day, 9th August : International Indigenous People Day, 10th December: World Human Rights Day, 1st May: May Day, 5th June: World Environment Day,   by conducting signature campaign, organized human chain, rally, view exchange and roundtable meeting on deference specific issues.

Research:
 One of the important and vital activities of me is research through constant monitoring of human rights situation in Bangladesh which I disseminate through publication the “State of Human Rights”. I also publishe the report on monthly, quarterly and half-yearly basis to motivate the Govt. authority to take necessary action against the perpetrators and to create public opinion against human rights violation. 


Documentation:

I run a documentation centre focusing on gathering data of human rights abuses from secondary sources, mainly local and national newspaper, and publishing the results of their findings in the human rights situation report of Bangladesh. At least 12 national newspapers, a number of local publications and news websites are screened daily for reports on human rights abusage and the article are clipped out and past into binders containing hundred of clippings. The information is transferred in to a computer database in the library of me. I also collect information from its direct source as like as local NGO, network members, fact finding team and victims themselves. There are several categories of documentation:

·        Death, rape and torture by law enforcing agencies
·        Violence against journalist and human rights defender
·        Impunity of law enforcing agencies
·        Violence against women and children
·        Dowry related domestic violence
·        Organized violence by political party
·        Repression on ethnic and religious minority
·        Abuse of National security laws
·        Verdict and execution of death sentence
·        Violence against law enforcing agencies
·        Human Rights situation in CHT
·        Border conflict
·        Acid violation
·        Custodial death

Publication:
Using social media like blog and facebook as weapon against human rights violation and also for the dissemination of knowledge and sharing of  experience relating to human rights violation among the readers. I publishes monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annually human rights situation report regularly. In addition of these, I publish leaflet, poster, sticker, handbill, research papers and books occasionally.

Good Governance:
 To ensure good governance is one of the most focuses of me. I believes that ensuring good governance is impossible with our protecting human rights and vice versa. I organize seminars, symposiums, view exchanges, signature campaigns, and discussions to promote the issue of good governance in Bangladesh.


Institution Building:

Prevention should be invoked first before get it cures because ‘prevention is better than cure’. I organizs a unique process as preventive program against anti-human right activities specially torture by the law enforcing agencies  and organised violence.



Networking:
I maintain a close relationship and cooperation with other human rights organizations, local foreign embassy, different professionals and individuals in national and international level for getting supports for the prevention of human rights violation. To maintain constant relation and cooperation, I meet local lawyers association, doctors association, NGO leaders, journalists association and other professionals. I also work with other international organization like REDRESS- London, IRCT- Copenhagen, OMCT- SOS Torture network, Amnesty International-London, Human Rights Watch-New York, CPJ, IFJ, GHRD- Netherlands,   AHRC- Hong Kong, IFEX, ACHR-India, CHRI-India, Hotline Asia and UN human rights boy etc.

Hot Line:

I develop a hot line for receiving information of human rights violations quickly through network members, victims and members of their family or any other person. This is open all the time so that I could initiates actions as soon as possible after the incidents happen from remotest part of the country. The Hot line Number is +88 017 20308080