Appeal to US Secretary of State

Your Excellency Hillary Clinton

US Secretary of State

Washington DC, United States 

Dear Madam Secretary,

The verdict announced by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, rejecting the designation of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) as a terrorist group by the former Secretary of State, is a tremendous transition in the path of ending a great injustice which is harming the Iranian people and the residents of Camp Ashraf who are affiliated with the PMOI. We are confident that you will implement the Court of Appeals’ ruling and by delisting the PMOI from the List of FTO, make a great contribution to democracy in Iran and peace and stability in the region. 

The PMOI designation is not only used in the path of violating the rights of the members and supporters of the PMOI as the democratic opposition of the Iranian regime. It has also been exploited to justify the execution of their members and supporters inside Iran, and during the past seven years, this label has been a tool to suppress the residents of Camp Ashraf in Iraq. 

The recent US Court of Appeals’ ruling has paved the road for you to correct the mistakes made. 

There is no need to say that justice should not be conditioned to political considerations, and the interests of nations and free governments rests in observing democracy and the law. We hope that by ridding the injustice done to the PMOI, you will put an end to our grave worries. 

Yours Sincerely,

Adv. Shahanur Islam Saikot 

LL.B (Hon's); LL.M (Law & Justice)

JusticeMakers Fellow 2010 

Secretary General/Executive Director

Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)

Flat # B-17, 27, Bijoy Nagar, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh 

Email: saikotbihr@gmail.com, bihr.bd@gmail.com 

Cell: + 88 017 20308080, Ph: +88 02 9349851 

Fax: + 88 028352166, www.bihr-bihr.blogspot.com

URGENT APPEAL:Seeking justice through the proper investigation of the incident of beating by Parliament Member

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URGENT APPEAL:Seeking justice through the proper investigation of the incident of killing due to torture byBDR

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Letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Regarding the Harassment of Apparel Industry Demonstrators and Union Leaders

August 10, 2010

We are seeking your immediate intervention to stop the serious harassment of trade union leaders and other labor rights activists and workers in the ready-made garment (RMG) industry who have been pressing for the right of workers to organize in unions and seeking increases in Bangladesh's minimum wage regulations.

On July 29, 2010, after tripartite negotiations with government, workers, and employers, the government raised the daily minimum wage from 1662 taka to 3000 taka. However, the action angered workers who claimed the increase is less than the amount needed to meet the rising cost of living for urban-based workers and fell far short of the increase that the workers, trade unionists, and NGO activists were demanding. As has occurred numerous times in the history of Bangladesh's RMG industry, on July 30 and 31, worker anger and frustration boiled over into the streets, with roads being blocked, vandalism and attacks against factories and properties taking place, and use of force by police and security forces that resulted in scores of injuries among protesting workers. Human Rights Watch condemns instances of violence by the protesters as well as incidents where security forces may have used excessive force to quell the protests.

HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT: Bangladesh: Monthly Human Rights Report (July 2010) by GHRD

Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) Monthly Human Rights Report Bangladesh, July 2010 GHRD is very concerned about the high number of attacks against religious minorities this month in Bangladesh, especially against Hindus. During July GHRD has investigated three cases involving attacks and assaults against Hindu victims. In addition to this local newspapers have also reported about several similar incidents. This month report also contains information about CHT. According to news reports several NGOs in the region are under the surveillance of the government. Additionally, the Chittagong Hills Tracts Commission recently sent out a memorandum to the Prime Minister regarding their concern about the attacks taking place in February of this year. Other updates from this month include a verdict made by the High Court that will declare extrajudicial punishments, such as fatwa, illegal. Additionally, following the High Court’s verdict in 2005 regarding the scrapping of the fifth amendment of the Bangladeshi constitution, the government are now preparing a draft to amend the Bangladeshi constitution in order to restore a constitutional spirit of "secularism" and "democracy”.

The State of Human Rights for the Month of July 2010

Ref: BIHR/HRR/07/08/2010                                                                Date: 02.08.10

The Law enforcing agencies is still continuing the extra judicial killing, torture and harassment, though the government has come to power promising to promote and protect human right in Bangladesh

(The State of Human Rights for the Month of July 2010)

The Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation registered with the Department of Social Welfare, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh based on the United Nation Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) dedicated to promote and protect human rights in Bangladesh. BIHR publishes its state of Human Rights for the period of July 01 to July 31, 2010. The report was prepared by the research and documentation cell of BIHR on the basis of report published on 12 national news papers from July 02 to August 01, 2010, fact-finding mission and its direct sources. BIHR is resents and is deeply concerned over the continuing human rights violations in Bangladesh despite the promises to promote human rights, especially in regards to Extra-judicial Killing, torture, political violence, death due to negligence of doctor, rape, eve teasing and molestation, minority repression as well as violence against journalist and human rights defender. Adv. Shahanur Islam, the Secretary General of BIHR asks the Government to take prompt and effective measures ensuring and end to all kinds of violations as well as demands to investigate and bring the alleged perpetrations before the book, forming a special commission.