STATEMENT: Bangladeshi lawyer, human rights defender and journalist faced harassment, intimidation as well as received threats from Border Guards of Bangladesh and by the district special branch of police.

On May 16, 2011, Advocate Shahanur Islam (Saikot) Global Human Rights Defence Country Observer for Bangladesh, Executive Director of Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights, Founding Secretary General of JusticeMakers Bangladesh, Legal and Human Rights Editor of Monthly Doyel and also member of Dhaka Bar Association and Bangladesh Bar Council faced harassment, intimidation as well as received threats from Border Guards of Bangladesh and by the District Special Branch of police, while he along with  a team of four went to Rangamati to conduct a fact finding investigation into the incident of massive communal attack on Jumma villages by Bengali settlers with the support of security forces on 17 February 2011. You can read the full report visiting the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/60119194/Justice-Makers-Bangladesh-Trust-Mission-CHT

During the investigations, the local authorities expressed strong suspicion towards any international involvement in the region. Advocate Shahanur Islam was approached and questioned on multiple occasions by members of the Border Guards of Bangladesh and by the district special branch of police who requested information on the identity of the team, the organization they worked for and purpose for their visit. 

The fact finding team was stopped and interrogated by Assistant Chief executive officer of Tematha BGB camp who made alarm not to visit the spot. The team was also interrogated by the district special branch of police (DSB) who documented all personal information of the team members as well as about the organization they worked for. 

On May 16, 2011 around 10.30 am, when the team was going beside the Tematha BGB camp to the spot one BGB member dressed in civilian clothing asked one of team members, Mr. Gonesh Rajbonshi, to stop and asked where were from they come, where would they go and what is their purpose to go? At that time, Adv. Shahanur Islam asked him to make the query to him. As soon as he asked the BGB member to question him, the BGB man asked Mr. Islam to sit down on the ground. Introducing himself as a lawyer and Mr. Gonesh as his supporting staff, Mr. Islam refused to sit on the ground and asked him about his identity. Then he replied that he is a member of BGB and Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Tematha BGB camp and asked him why they are going to the deep hill tracks area without informing the camp? He also told that the deep hill tracks area is so dangerous and they are not allowed to go there. He again asked him about the purpose of visit, whether they know the Jumma people who were with them during the time or not. He also told him that their team will be kidnapped, if they go deep hill track area. Then he told about the recent conflict between Jumma people and settlers, and again said that they are not allow go there. He asked Mr. islam to show his identity card as lawyer and he gave him his business card. Meanwhile, Milon Chakma, a Jumma victim of the attacks came before the BGB man and told that they are going with him. As Mr. Chakma was pre introduced with that BGB man, the BGB man allow them to go with him but not far remote area. He interrogated Mr. Islam for around ½ hour.

Moving forward around 150 feet; another armed BGB man again stopped the team and asked Mr. Islam the same questions as the previous interrogation. When he told that they had already been interrogated once previously, he allowed them to go. Again moving forward around 450 feet; another man dressed in civilian clothing and introducing himself as BGB man asked the same questions as the previous interrogation. Finally he also allowed the team to go when Mr. Islam again told that already they had been interrogated two times previously.

On the same day around at 2.00 PM, one of the local network member informed Mr. Islam by cell phone that the District Special branch of Longdu was searching for Mr. Islam. They visited his hotel and asked him several questions about Mr. Islam, organization and their purpose for coming to the region. The DSB man also asked him to give Mr. Islam cell number to him as well as inform Mr. Islam to meet with DSB personnel when they return.

On the same day around 7.00 PM, the DSB man, named Khalil, came to Mr. Islam hotel along with another police officer in civilian clothing and he asked Mr. Islam to come with him. Then he took the team one corner of the field in front of the Longadu police station. Sitting on the floor, he asked the similar questions repeatedly for 3 hours and finally asked Mr. Islam to keep open his mobile phone so that he can communicate with him if any necessity arises in future. 

This is not any isolated instance of such kind of harassment, treats and intimidation on human rights defenders, lawyer and journalist in Bangladesh. It is a very common phenomenon for the professionals like human rights defenders of Bangladesh facing attacked, harassment, ill treatment, death threats from the terrorist, law-enforcing agencies and security forces. It is well-known that Bangladesh has cultivated one of the best cultures of impunity to alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses despite the nation’s presence in the UN Human Rights Council since May 2006. Instead of improving the country’s human rights records the government of Bangladesh has paved the ways to degrade the rights of the citizens through various means of violations. 

JusticeMakers Bangladesh and Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) deeply concerned over harassment, intimidation and threats received by human rights defender, lawyer & journalist Mr. Shahanur Islam from from Border Guards of Bangladesh and by the District Special Branch of Police and demanded a full and impartial investigation into the misconduct of relevant official is required and that those responsible are punished.