ASK Press Statement on Government Ban on Rallies | 20 May 2013

Home Advocacy Media Press Statement ASK Press Statement on Government Ban on Rallies | 20 May 2013

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) strongly criticises the announcement made by the Home Minister on
prohibition of all kinds of political activities for the next one month in a Television interview. We
consider that such announcement is a direct violation of the rights
enshrined in the Constitution of Bangladesh.
There is no scope of violating or suspending the Constitutional rights
unless an emergency is declared. According to the law, If the District
Magistrate or Commissioner of Police is satisfied regarding the
apprehension of deterioration of law and order or any imminent
threat, then section 144 can be imposed subject to prior
announcement. Besides, contradictory and conflicting statements of
the representatives of the Government over the prohibition of
political activities have triggered widespread confusion and raised
insecurity in peoples mind.
ASK considers that this type of declaration violating the
Constitutional rights reflects lack of confidence within the
Government agencies.
ASK is calling upon the Government to immediately lift this ban
which is inconsistent with the Constitutional provisions.
ASK Concern of Ongoing Political clashes and Violence Observed on 5 May 2013
Home Advocacy Media Press Statement ASK Concern of Ongoing Political clashes and Violence Observed on 5 May 2013

Statement in Bengali

Ain o Salish kendra (ASK) expresses its grave concern and condemns over the increasing levels
of recent political clashes, violence and is calling for/requesting all concerned parties to take
necessary measures for the improvement of ongoing violence.
ASK thinks that the negotiation and exchange of democratic dialogue in between the political
parties is within the purview of exercising democratic rights and every citizen, community has
the complete right of expression peacefully and democratically. But ASK expresses its concern
over the ongoing violence occurred in the name of 13-point charter of demands on the basis of
the punishment of bloggers and trial of war criminals along with the support of BNP and Jamayat
Islam.
It has been observed that, on 5 May 2013 Hefajat -e-Islam cadres marched into Dhaka wielding
sticks and bamboos, though they claimed that they would carry out "Dhaka Oborodh" peacefully.
They attacked on various governmental, non-governmental institutions, offices, and also set fire
on roadside shops and business institutions. Hefajot -e-Islam used children as shields in their

demonstration, exposing them to street violence. There is no clear statement from the
Government about the logic of giving permission to the HI to lay seize to Dhaka and how the
reported loss of lives occurred without using weapons by Police and RAB. Besides leaving
scores injured, Hefajats violence and vandalism has made many people destitute and severely
shaken peoples sense of security. On the other hand, suspending transmission of two TV
channels is also a breach of freedom of expression and press freedom.
ASK thinks that the government should discuss the grave situation relating to violence in the
National Parliament immediately and make impartial investigation to deal with them more
strategically and responsibly.ASK also thinks that Hefajat-e Islams violence and attack on
individuals and constitutional right to freedom of expression must be resisted democratically.
Why Ghum Cases Remain Unresolved
Home ASK News Feature | Why "Ghum" Cases Remain Unresolved

Feature on Enforced Disappearances | Ananta Yusuf | New Age

The last time Aminul Islams wife talked to him was on phone on October 31, last year, moments before he disappeared. Aminul Islam and
his friend Anisur Rahman came for a business trip in Dhaka from Jessore on October 29, last year. They rented a room at Hotel New York in
Topkahna

road

and

two

days

later

they

were

reported

missing.

Aminuls brother Shagor Shekh left for Dhaka soon after Aminul became incommunicado. My brothers sudden disappearance was a shock
for us. No one could find any allegation or case against him and we carry a good reputation in Jessore. His disappearance is still a mystery
for

the

family.

On the night of disappearance Aminul talked with his wife and informed her about his health and business deal. Shagor says, Bhabi talked
to him once around 9:30pm but when she phoned him again at 11:30pm he could not be reached. Since then his phone remained switch
off.
Shagor checked every corner of the city including the hotel but he did not find his brother. The hotel authority said, they saw Aminul with his
friend last on October 31 at around 11:00pm and after that they didnt came back to the hotel. Aminuls car was parked in the garage but he
was

missing.

A New York Hotel staff confirms Xtra that he saw Aminul along with his friend on the night of disappearance. Aminul gave him the key and
said

he

will

return

within

one

hour

but

he

did

not

return.

After searching every possible corner, Shagor filed a general diary and later on, a case at Shahbag police station. Sub Inspector (SI)
Muhammed Humayun, investigating officer with the help of the victims family, checked the IMEI number and the call list of Aminul.
During the investigation, Humayun found that after the abduction Aminuls friend Anisur Rahmans mobile phone was switched on for a
while

with

different

SIM

card

at

around

1:45am.

message

also

entered

the

phone

on

that

number.

Police started investigating the case by tracking the number. Humayun confirms Xtra that they tried tracing the user through Anisur
Rahmans mobile phone IMEI and interestingly found that the mobile phone had become alive at different times in November.
Police found that the two numbers frequently dialed from the phone belonged to the users previous wife Jahnara Khan Tonni and a female
friend

Tahsin

Fatima.

Fatima informed police that the users name is Ashraf and he is a member of Bangladesh Army, but police was not sure about his
designation.

Police

plotted

trap

using

Fatima

to

find

the

user

of

the

phone.

Ashraf came to see Fatima in front of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence. It turned out that Ashraf was a member of the RAB
intelligence. Once he realised that he was trapped, he ran into the DGFI office and since then he too remained untraceable.
We tried our best but were not able to make headway, says SI Humayun. The case meanwhile has moved to the Criminal Investigation
Department.
Shagor alleged that when police found the accused worked for the RAB intelligence, they started drifting from the case and later handed it
over

to

the

Detective

Branch.

When the DB also could not make any progress with the investigation, We went to Ain o Salish Kendra for help. From them we come to
know about Ashraf in detail, and after getting his marriage registration and national ID card we became certain that he is an armed force
soldier

and

was

working

for

RAB

intelligence.

We were shocked, says Shagor adding, relatives advised them to stop looking for Aminul, but still we are trying to get him back dead or
alive.
SI

Akther

of

CID

denied

divulging

any

information

until

they

came

to

any

conclusion

with

the

investigation.

Initially family members thought that they disappeared because of business related clashes, so they filed police case. The police also were
sincerely investigating until they unearthed clues that implicate a law enforcement agency with Aminuls disappearance. The investigators
started

cutting

slack

on

their

investigation.

Shagor tells Xtra that the police cut short its speed once they identified links to a RAB intelligence personnel in the disappearance of
Aminul. The police told us they were closing in on one of the perpetrators, but when they found that the accused was working for RAB
intelligence,

their

progression

with

the

investigation

slowed

down.

Nur Khan, director (investigation) of Ain o Salish Kendra, says that when Shagor came to them for help, it was not a very easy task to
ascertain whether RAB was really linked with the disappearance or not. He says, We carefully went through the police reports and findings
and from their report we received clues like different phone numbers of family members and friends. After interviewing the family members
and from phone records and IMEI number, we became certain that the user works for
RAB

intelligence

at

DGFI

head

quarter.

Nur believes if Ashraf was brought to book and questioned then the whole picture of this
disappearance case will unfold.

According to ASK, only this year, 41 people were reportedly killed and 44
disappeared in the country. In most cases, the family alleged that the law
enforcement agency abducted them and later killed.
The present government promised in its election manifesto that they will bring down
the number of extrajudicial killings. According to Odhikar, a human rights
organisation, extra judicial killing was at 184 in 2007, 149 in 2008, 154 in 2009, 127
in 2010 and 84 in 2011. Although the number of killing has sharply decreased but
enforced disappearance is still at large.
Five youths from Aminbazar went missing between October 5 and 23. Families of
the missing youths alleged that they were picked up by some men from Gabtali.
Just a few months earlier on June 13, Mohammad Nazrul Islam from Kamarkhand
upazila of Sirajganj went missing at around 5:30 pm. According to an eyewitness,
he was allegedly arrested and then disappeared by RAB-12 members.
Five youths went missing from Aminbazar and Gabtali in October, New Age
reported on November 8. The general diary filed at the Darussalam police station on October 29 mentioned Mohammad Salim,
Saiful Islam, Monir Hossain, Abdus Sattar, and Saiful Islam were missing.
The family alleged they were abducted by the men in plainclothes.
On October 5, Saiful Islam was picked up by a group of plainclothesmen from Begunbari. The Criminal Investigation Department
(CID) arrested Saiful Islam along with 14 other locals in connection with the killing of six students in Aminbazar on April 18, 2011.
Saifuls wife Ruma Begum informs Xtra that her husband was released on bail after he passed three months in jail as the law
enforcement agencies was not sure he was the right Saiful Islam.
Saifuls friend, Abdul Rashid from Begunbari tells Xtra that he was with him just before Saiful disappeared. He tells Xtra, His wife
called me and asked about him. I looked everywhere for him but could not find him. A tea stall owner told me he was moved in a
white microbus.
The commanding officer of RAB-1, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Ibn Zaid told New Age that they received complaints from the
families and were looking into the matter.
Fact finding report of Odhikar states that members of Rab-12 arrested one Mohammad Nazrul Islam on June 13 from Kamarkhand
upazila of Shirajganj. The family members never learned his whereabouts since he was picked up.
According to an eyewitness, on that day when RAB arrested him, Nazrul Islam was at the rail-crossing near his house. Then took
him to the RAB-12 office in a motorcycle and confined him there. Since then he has been missing.

The plainclothesmen got into an altercation with Nazrul and when locals appeared, two of the men identified themselves as
members of RAB and showed their badges. The witness remembers reading one of the names, SI Kamruzzaman.
Nazrul Islams mother Zohura Begum says that Nazrul was taken to the office of RAB-12 situated inside Sirajganj Quowmi Jute Mill.
A shop owner near the mill saw Nazrul in front of the RAB office and informed the family members. She sent one of their relatives
Abul Kashem to the RAB-12 office to look for Nazrul. RAB members denied of having Nazrul.
Captain Mehedi told Odhikar that their investigation was going on since Nazrul was missing. He said that the allegation made by
Nazruls family about his arrest by RAB was false. Moreover, there was no one called SI Kamruzzaman in RAB-12 office, he said.
After repeated attempts to reach RAB for an explanation its spokesperson Captain M Sohail was not in the position to comment.
Anjuman Mufidul Islam, an organisation taking responsibility for unclaimed dead body and burial service says that in the last five
years, they have buried 8,000 unclaimed dead bodies only in Dhaka. Most of the bodies were unidentified since they were
decomposed and mutilated.
Human rights activists and organisations claim, since 2004 after Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was formed, extrajudicial killing and enforced
disappearance escalated immensely. Despite repeated notifications by the governmental and non-governmental organisations, none of the
governments

made

efforts

at

investigating

into

the

incidents

or

prosecuting

the

perpetrators.

Nur believes the problem lies in the system. Since the military regime of 70s and 80s, law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh have been
allegedly involved in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing. After democracy was restored in the 90s, the trend reportedly
reduced

until

it

was

revived

once

again

with

the

inception

of

RAB,

says

Nur.

Not only that enforced disappearance has become the new terror in the country, the reluctance at investigating the incidents by law
enforcement agencies have become a barrier to dig up the truth.

Use of Pepper Spray to Disperse Protestors

Home News Alert ASK Concern | Use of Pepper Spray to Disperse Protestors

ASKs grave concern and condemns over the Governments heavy-handedness to restrain teachers
during their demonstration
Since 7 January 2013 hundreds of teachers and employees of non-governmental schools, colleges and technical educational
institutions have been demonstrating for the inclusion of their education institutes in the monthly payment order (MPO) list. From the
start, the Government have taken a strong position to stop the demonstration.
Instead of initiating dialogue with the teachers to meet their grievance, law enforcement agencies used force on the peaceful
demonstration of teachers, teargas, batons, water canon and pepper spray were utilised to disperse them. Many teachers and staffs
were injured. A press release issued by the teachers claimed that a teacher named Sikandar Ali, who sustained injuries during the
demonstrations on January 10, died in Patuakhali early on 15 January 2013.

Teachers serve the future generations as 'builders of the nation'. This type of treatment is not acceptable in any way. Every citizen
has the rights to freedom of opinion and expression and also has the rights to freedom of assembly and association. Peaceful
practice of these rights makes democracy more effective. ASK think that the resistance from police also violated the right of the
teachers to express their views in a democratic way. ASK also demands that, Government should refrain from using force and
should take an initiative immediately to have a dialogue with the teachers.Using toxic gas to disperse peaceful protesters.

Using a toxic gas to disperse peaceful protesters

These type of gases are harmful for the human body. It can cause occasional death. Recently these gases have been used during
teachers demonstrations and many of them have been seriously injured.
It has been alleged that one of the injured teachers died after returning home.

It is the civil and political rights of every citizen to demonstrate peacefully for the fulfillment of
their demands. This kind of toxic gas never used any civilized country to oppress any
demonstration. If law-enforcing agencies need to find alternative and peaceful ways to contain
protest which becomes dangerous but to use this toxic gas to disperse protestors is unacceptable.
It is the responsibility of the government to ensure citizens can partake in peaceful demonstration
and basic security.
ASK demand that the Government should take immediate steps to stop using this toxic gas by
considering the opinion of experts and give instruction to law enforcing agency to take peaceful
action to stop any disorder in the movement.

BD News 24 - Legal Notice to Stop Pepper Spray

BD

News

24

Pepper

Spray

Use

instead

of

Baton

Use

In November 2011 Californian Police used pepper spray against students and Alumni of
University of California, Davis who were protesting tuition fees. The police man in the video
(see link or picture) was caught spraying on non violent demonstrators.

Pepper-sprayed UC Davis students awarded $1 million in compensation

26 September 2012 RT News

College students and alumni that were injured when a police officer at the University of California, Davis, discharged military-grade
pepper-spray in their face during a peaceful protest last year will split a settlement of roughly $1,000,000.
Members of the UC Regents board agreed earlier this month on a settlement to be split among the 21 demonstrators targeted by a
campus cop since removed from the force, but the final amount was not disclosed until now. The Sacramento Bee reports on
Wednesday that the board had decided behind closed doors on a figure of roughly $1 million.
"We did an injustice to our students that day at Davis, and some amount of recompense is appropriate, UC Davis student regent
Jonathan Stein told the Los Angeles Times after their meeting earlier this month. More importantly, its time for us as an institution
to publicly acknowledge thats not the way we should treat our students; we were wrong, and we are moving forward.
The terms of the settlement were unsealed in federal court Wednesday morning and, assuming the appropriate papers are
authorized by a federal judge, each of the 21 plaintiffs in the case are expected to receive $30,000, totaling $630,000 in all.
Additional plaintiffs are invited to come forward and file claims in order to collect from a pool of $100,000 set aside for a class action
suit, and $250,000 will be handed to the attorneys who handled the case.

Lt. John Pike, the officer who injured the protesters during a peaceful demonstration that was caught on tape and took the Internet
by storm, was placed on paid administrative leave for several months after the November 18, 2011 sit-in on the Davis campus.
Student and alumni had gathered at the school to protest rising tuition fees.
The internal affairs investigation alone into Lt. Pikes actions cost the university $230,256.73, the Bee reports.