complete amnesty report on bangladesh - though it states a fraction of atrocitie

[Guest guest]

nomoshkar,

this is my sincere request to publish this. the heinous atrocities

are continuing against hindus and buddhists and other minorities in

bangladesh still. 4 million people are affected.

i request you on behalf of bhaktas of shri chaitanya prabhupada,

chittagong to publish this and make people aware.

if anyone can contribute to victims who are taking shelter in

ashrams -

please visit www.hrcbm.org or you inform WHF(WORLD HINDU

FEDERATION),ISKCON or RK Mission to contribute to victims.

 

 

http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/ASA130062001?

OpenDocument & of=COUNTRIES\BANGLADESH

BANGLADESH

Attacks on members of the Hindu minority

 

 

Amnesty International has been concerned about the situation of

members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh over the past several

months. Following the general elections on 1 October which were won

by a coalition led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) with a large

majority, BNP supporters reportedly attacked Hindus because of their

perceived support for the rival Awami League party during elections.

Hundreds of Hindu families were reportedly driven off their land by

groups affiliated to the BNP-led coalition who, in some cases,

allegedly burnt their homes and raped Hindu women. Several Hindus

were reportedly killed. Amnesty International is calling on the

Government of Bangladesh to bring to justice perpetrators of these

attacks regardless of their position in society or in any political

party.

 

Amnesty International is also calling for the immediate and

unconditional release of prisoner of conscience Shahriar Kabir, a

journalist who has sought to publicise abuses against Hindus.

 

Discrimination against Hindus

 

Hindus in Bangladesh have tended to vote for and support parties such

as the Awami League. They have therefore been the target of a

political backlash by supporters of parties opposing the Awami

League.

 

As a minority community in Bangladesh sharing a language and religion

with the Indian populations of West Bengal, Hindus have been

subjected to discriminatory practices or attacks by Muslim groups in

Bangladesh. None of the governments in Bangladesh since its

independence has taken any decisive steps to protect Hindus in the

face of potential threats, including the current attacks.

 

While both Hindu men and women have been subjected to attacks and

intimidation, Hindu women have been also subjected to sexual

violence. As a state party to the International Convention on the

Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, the

Bangladesh Government is required to take steps without delay to

eliminate discrimination against all women in Bangladesh. The

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has

identified gender-based violence which includes rape, as a form of

discrimination (General Recommendation 19 of 1992).

 

Attacks against Hindus

 

The current wave of attacks against the Hindu community in Bangladesh

began before the general elections of 1 October 2001 when Hindus were

reportedly threatened by members of the BNP-led alliance not to vote,

since it was perceived their vote would be cast for the Awami League.

The backlash after the elections was systematic and severe. Reports

indicate that the worst affected areas have been in Barisal, Bhola,

parts of Pirojpur, Khulna, Satkhira, Gopalganj, Bagerhat, Jessore,

Commilla and Norsingdi. Attackers have reportedly entered Hindu

homes, beaten members of the family, looted their property and in

some cases, raped Hindu women.

 

One of the affected villages was Ziodhara. Fear of backlash created a

severe atmosphere of tension in the village. Several hundred Hindu

villagers left for fear of being attacked and Hindu children would

not attend schools.

In another village, Deuatala Bazaar, gangs of young men wielding

sharp weapons reportedly went from door to door telling Hindus

to ''go away''. Hundreds of Hindu villagers reportedly left the

village.

 

 

Photo caption: Bangladeshi Hindu families who crossed into

neighbouring West Bengal as a result of attacks on Hindus in

Bangladesh gather to receive food from Indian villagers in the

borders village of Badalpur, 420 km north of Kolkata [Calcutta] on 8

November 2001 © Reuters.

 

 

In the village of Daspara in Mithanala union, Mirersarai Upazila, a

gang of about 25 youths reportedly attacked homes of Hindus around

midnight on 5 November. One person, Sunil Das Sandhu, 28, was

reportedly hacked to death and 16 others were injured, some

seriously. They ransacked houses, looted them, dragged family members

out of their homes and beat them. Police reportedly arrested 12

persons in connection with this attack, but it is not known if they

have been charged.

 

Hundreds of Hindu families have fled across the border into India

because they have been attacked or threatened. They have been

trickling into India reportedly either by paying bribes or crossing

along the remote unmanned border areas. According to Agence France-

Presse of 29 October 2001 they have either ended up in camps or gone

to their distant relatives. Hindus interviewed by journalists have

said they have been targeted because they were thought to have been

supporters of the defeated Awami League.

 

Some Hindu places of worship have also been attacked, including one

in Chandaikona Bazaar in Royganj area in Sirajganj on 22 October by a

group of youths who damaged Hindu statutes and looted the place.

 

Following a petition filed by a Bangladeshi legal aid organization,

Ain-o-Salish Kendra, the High Court ordered the government on 26

November to explain why it has not done more to protect the country's

Hindu religious minority. The court gave the government one month to

respond.

 

 

Allegations of rape

 

Human rights organizations in Bangladesh believe over 100 women may

have been subjected to rape. Reports persistently allege that the

perpetrators have been mainly members of the BNP or its coalition

partner Jamaat-e-Islami. Rape victims are frequently reluctant to

disclose their ordeal. What follows is a sample of the available

information.

 

A college student was reportedly raped in front of her mother at her

home in Azimnagar, Bhanga, Faridpur. The attackers reportedly entered

her home on 6 October at about 9pm, ransacked the house, looted

valuables and raped the student before leaving the house.

A school girl was reportedly gang-raped in Delua, Ullapara, Sirajganj

on 8 October. Attackers entered her home, ill-treated members of her

family, took her outside the house and raped her.

 

 

Photo caption: Two Hindu teenage girls cover their faces after they

were raped allegedly by supporters of the new government in Barisal

district, 13 October 2001 © Associated Press.

 

 

Two Hindu women were reportedly raped in front of their husbands on

11 October in Khanzapur Upazila in Gournadi, Barisal. The attackers

reportedly came at night, knocked at the door, and told the family

that they should leave the area because they had voted for the Awami

League. They then reportedly tied up the husbands and raped the

women.

Two Hindu women were reportedly raped in their home in Bashkandi,

Chorfashon, Bhola on 6 October. Male members of the family had

already gone into hiding for fear of being attacked. The attackers

entered their home and raped the girl and her mother.

 

A number of Hindu girls were reportedly abducted. It is not known

whether or not they have returned to their families. A gang of armed

men reportedly abducted three Hindu girls at the village of Nohata in

Shreepur in Magura district on 11 October 2001. The men reportedly

entered their home at midnight and took the girls away. Another girl

was reportedly abducted from her home at Razarchor, Sadar, Barisal

after the attackers were not paid a large sum of money which they had

demanded for leaving the family alone. They also molested the girl's

mother and her aunt. There are fears that all of these girls may have

been subjected to rape.

 

National and international reactions to the attacks

Soon after the elections, the Bangladeshi press covered atrocities

against the Hindu communities widely, raising awareness in Bangladesh

about their situation and urging the authorities to take action. The

move was reinforced by Bangladeshi human rights organizations some of

whom sent investigative teams to the affected areas and held public

meetings in protest against the attacks.

 

On 15 October, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action

expressing concern at reports that Hindus and other religious

minorities have been attacked since the general election, allegedly

by supporters of the BNP-led coalition. Members of Amnesty

International throughout the world wrote to the authorities in

Bangladesh urging them to take immediate action to stop any attacks

on religious minorities and to provide the victims of these attacks

with adequate and durable protection. They wrote to the Prime

Minister Begum Khaleda Zia asking her to set up an impartial and

independent commission of enquiry to investigate the alleged attacks,

identify the attackers and bring those responsible to justice.

Amnesty International members also wrote to the Inspector General of

Police urging him to ensure that his officers take appropriate action

on complaints against the alleged attackers.

 

Government reaction to concerns about the attacks was initially one

of denial. Amnesty International was particularly disturbed by

reports in the Bangladesh media in mid-October quoting Bangladesh

Home Minister, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, as saying the news of the

attacks on members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh

were ''baseless, exaggerated and politically motivated''. He said

during a visit to Barisal that he had not found any evidence of such

reports. However, on 26 October, he reportedly admitted that

atrocities had taken place but provided no information about the

scale of the problem.

 

On 9 November, Agence France-Presse reported that the Bangladesh

Government had set up a committee headed by the principal secretary

to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to investigate alleged atrocities

committed against members of the Hindu community and their reported

exodus to India. The committee does not appear to be independent of

the government, as the Home Minister reportedly has a supervisory

role. The committee was to submit a report within a week but there

has been no further news about the progress of this committee.

 

To date, a number of BNP members have reportedly been arrested in

connection with the attacks on Hindus. For example, on 15 October,

the Daily Star reported the arrest of Abdur Rouf, President of the

BNP unit at Purba Delua village, Ullapara thana, Sirajganj. He had

reportedly led some 16 BNP activists who had attacked Anil Shill,

beating him as well as his wife Basanta Rani and their two daughters

Purnima and Gita Rani in an attempt to secure land belonging to the

family. Initially, the police had refused to register a case against

the attackers.

 

Reports in the Bangladeshi press continue to point to the problems

faced by members of the Hindu minority, particularly in rural areas.

One such report indicates that some 30 Hindu families in Reeshipara

village of Boraigram Upazila in Natore have allegedly been threatened

by armed men identifying themselves as members of the BNP to either

provide them with 300,000 Taka ($5,317) before the end of Ramadan or

leave the village and settle in another place.

 

Killing of Gopal Krishna Muhuri

 

The killing of a prominent member of the Hindu community appears to

be connected to the current wave of attacks on Hindus. On 16

November, Gopal Krishna Muhuri, Principal of Nazirhat College in

Chittagong was shot dead at his home. Four gunmen posing as members

of the police detective branch came to his house, called him to come

to the door and fired two shots at his head which killed him

instantly. The circumstances surrounding his killing point to the

strong possibility that he was targeted because of his identity as a

prominent Hindu with a successful career in the educational

establishment of Chittagong city. He had banned political activity in

the college, a move popular with ordinary students but opposed by

armed students' groups affiliated to the political parties who fight

for the control of halls of residence at educational institutions. At

the same time, a two-year extension of his tenure reportedly created

mounting disquiet among the majority Muslim staff of the college.

Police reportedly arrested at least two teachers and colleagues of

Gopal Krishna Muhuri on 17 November in connection with his murder.

They were allegedly linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, a party in the

coalition government.

 

Arrest of Shahriar Kabir

The arrest of a prominent journalist and writer, Shahriar Kabir, who

was investigating the situation of Hindus after the attacks, has sent

a chilling message to human rights defenders in Bangladesh and

throughout the world. He was arrested and taken into custody of the

Special Branch of the police on 22 November at Dhaka Zia

International airport on his return from Kolkata. He had been to

India to cover the situation of Hindus who had fled persecution in

Bangladesh after the general elections. Police seized his passport,

five video cassettes, 13 audio cassettes, three CDs, several

unprocessed films and his camera. He was detained under Section 54 of

the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows the police to detain

people without a warrant of arrest for 24 hours. The police asked for

his remand in police custody and a two-day remand order was issued by

the magistrate. However, the lawyer representing Shahriar Kabir

sought a stay of this remand order for two weeks, which was granted.

The court did not grant bail to the prisoner and he was sent to Dhaka

Central Jail where he was then served with a detention order under

the Special Powers Act (SPA).

 

The SPA provides for detention on the grounds of ''preventing [a

person] from doing any prejudicial act'' for example by

causing ''fear or alarm to the public or any section of the public''

or ''to prejudice'' matters relating to defence, foreign relations,

security, community relations, administration of law, essential

supplies and services, and economic or financial interests. Its

broadly formulated provisions allow for the detention of people in

contravention of their right to freedom of expression. It has been

frequently used by Bangladeshi governments to detain political

opponents. The extent of its abuse is such that the Bangladesh

Nationalist Party - now the largest component of the ruling

coalition - declared in its manifesto its intention to repeal the

law. The government has pledged to fulfil this promise.

 

The explanation the government has given for the detention of

Shahriar Kabir is that ''it was later found that the videos contain

objectionable and misleading statements that are detrimental to

communal harmony and subversive of the state'', and that Shahriar

Kabir ''in the interest of vested quarters was involved in tarnishing

the image of Bangladesh and of the government in the outside world''.

 

At the time of writing, the grounds given by the government for the

detention of Shahriar Kabir do not relate to any specific penal

charges. On 1 December, the Bangladesh High Court asked the

government to explain within one week why Shahriar Kabir's detention

was not illegal. The ruling followed a writ petition by defence

lawyers challenging his detention.

 

Shahriar Kabir's detention appears to be solely for writing articles,

giving interviews and taking video footage of Hindus who have been

the subject of attacks in recent months. In light of this, Amnesty

International believes that Shahriar Kabir's arrest is in

contravention of his rights to freedom of expression, which includes

freedom to express his views peacefully on the plight of the Hindu

minority in Bangladesh. There is no indication whatsoever that he has

used or advocated violence. Amnesty International therefore considers

Shahriar Kabir to be a prisoner of conscience and is calling for his

immediate and unconditional release.

 

 

Recommendations:

Immediate and decisive action is needed by the government to address

the situation of Hindus in the country. Amnesty International is

urging the highest authorities in Bangladesh to:

 

1. Publicly condemn attacks against members of the Hindu community.

 

2. Take decisive action to protect members of the Hindu community

against attacks.

 

3. Initiate a full, impartial and independent investigation of the

attacks and make the result of this investigation public.

 

4. Bring to justice all perpetrators of the attacks regardless of

their position in society or in any political party.

 

5. Provide compensation to victims of the attacks.

 

6. Ensure that discriminatory laws against Hindus and other

minorities are repealed.

 

7. Take appropriate disciplinary or criminal action against any

police personnel who have failed to ensure the protection of members

of the Hindu community.

 

8. Amnesty International is also urging the Government of Bangladesh

to release Shahriar Kabir immediately and unconditionally since his

detention is in contravention of his right to freedom of expression.