Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a reliable source regarding the alleged serious threats and intimidation against a human rights defender and journalist Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash for broadcasting news on the attempted extra-judicial killing of an alleged terrorist on a private television channel.
CASE DETAILS:
On 2 May 2007, a team of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) went to an alleged criminals house in the city of Rajshahi. The RAB team allegedly shot at the person in his bed room in front of his wife and young daughter. The CSB News, a private television channel, broadcasted the news of this attempted extra-judicial killing by the RAB team in the news bulletin at 1:00 am and 2:00 am on May 3. The wife of the bullet injured person accused the RAB for shooting on her husband before the television camera.
On the evening of May 3, at 9:33 pm, a person called to Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, the journalist of the CSB News for the Rajshahi Bureau, who also works for human rights organizations in Bangladesh, on his cell phone number from another cell phone (number +8801714049431). The caller introduced himself as Major Rashidul Hassan Rashid, an official of the RAB-5, that works in Rajshahi region, and asked why Mr. Akash broadcast the news of the RABs operation over the television channel. The RAB officer warned Mr. Akash that if he (Mr. Akash) failed to give an appropriate answer to his (Major Rashids) question then he must not forget the possible consequences for the job. The roaring army officer also asked whether Mr. Akash knew a reason why the other television channels except the CSB News avoided the report on that particular incident. Major Mr. Rashid also accused that Mr. Akash broadcasted the report intentionally and threatened that if any person representing the CSB News or Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash himself makes any further attempt to enter into the area of the RABs activities, then the RAB will take action against him and his colleagues. The army officer termed the news broadcasting as an anti-state activities.
Since the telephone call Mr. Akash and his family is under tremendous fear for the security of his life. No report has been received yet regarding any positive action relating to the security or protection for Mr. Akash and his family has been taken by the authorities in Bangladesh.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
This is not any isolated instance of such threats on journalists or human rights defenders in Bangladesh. It is a very common phenomenon for the professionals like journalists and human rights defenders of Bangladesh facing death threats from the law-enforcing agencies and security forces. Since the state of emergency was imposed in the country such threats and intimidations have alarmingly increased there (For further details please see: UA-035-2007; UP-034-2007; UA-079-2007 and UA-147-2007) where none of the alleged perpetrators have yet been prosecuted for their alleged crimes. It is well-known that Bangladesh has cultivated one of the best cultures of impunity to alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses despite the nations presence in the UN Human Rights Council since May 2006. Instead of improving the countrys human rights records the government of Bangladesh has paved the ways to degrade the rights of the citizens through various means of violations like torture, ill-treatment, extra-judicial killings and for last four months massive human rights abuses by the armed forces under a state of emergency.
The AHRC is also concerned by little action by the UN human rights bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner, Human Rights Council and the independent experts on the current human rights situation in Bangladesh. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a sister organization of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), published a detailed report titled Lawless law-enforcement and the parody of judiciary in Bangladesh in bimonthly publication article 2 (Vol. 5, No. 4, August 2006) and drew attention of the international human rights community including the concerned UN agencies on this matter.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant Bangladesh authorities listed below urging them to take prompt action to investigate the conduct of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) office Major Rashidul Hassan Rashid regarding the alleged threats and intimidation of human rights defender Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash. Please also send your letters to the relevant UN agencies listed below.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
BANGLADESH: Alleged serious intimidation by the Rapid Action Battalion in Rajshahi against a human rights defender who broadcasted the attempted extra-judicial killing
Name of the victim facing threat: Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, journalist of the CSB News television and a human rights defender, living in the city of Rajshahi
Alleged perpetrators: Major Mr. Rashidul Hassan Rashid, attached to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-5 deployed for the Rajshahi region
Date of incident: 3 May 2007
Place of incident: Rajshahi city in Bangladesh
I am writing to express my serious concern into the alleged serious intimidation against Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, a journalist of the CSB News television channel. The reason behind of the intimidation is due to CSB News broadcasting on the attempted extra-judicial killing of one criminal by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
According to the information I have received, on 2 May 2007, a team of the RAB went to an alleged criminals house in the city of Rajshahi. The RAB team shot at an alleged criminal in his bed room in front of the mans wife and minor aged daughter in the city of Rajshahi and the incident was broadcasted on the CSB News news bulletin at 1:00 am and 2:00 am on May 3. The wife of the bullet injured person accused the RAB for shooting on her husband before the television camera.
I have been informed that on the evening of May 3, at 9:33 pm, a person, who identified himself as Major Rashidul Hassan Rashid, an official of the RAB-5 workinb in Rajshahi region, called to Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, the journalist of the CSB News for the Rajshahi Bureau on his cell phone number from another cell phone (number +8801714049431). The caller then asked why Mr. Akash did broadcast the news of the RABs operation in the television channel. The caller also warned Mr. Akash that if he (Mr. Akash) fails to give appropriate answer to his (Major Rashids) question then he will face the possible consequences for the job. The caller also threatened Mr. Akash saying that whether he knew why the other television channels except the CSB News did not broadcast that particular incident. Major Mr. Rashid accused that Mr. Akash broadcasted the report intentionally and threatened that if any person representing the CSB News or Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash himself makes any further attempt to cover the RABs activities, the RAB will take action against him and his colleagues. The army officer termed the news broadcasting as an anti-state activities. Due to this threat, Mr. Akash and his family members are under tremendous fear for the security of his life, because arbitrary arrest and prolong detention is very common in Bangladesh now under a state of emergency.
This is not any isolated instance of such threats on journalists or human rights defenders in Bangladesh. I have learned that it is a very common phenomenon for the professionals like journalists and human rights defenders of Bangladesh facing death threats from the law-enforcing agencies and security forces. I am also very much concerned that since the state of emergency was imposed in the country such threats and intimidations by states security forces have alarmingly increased there. Yet none of the alleged perpetrators have yet been prosecuted for their alleged crimes. As a result, the worst type of culture of impunity is cultivated in Bangladesh, despite the nations presence in the UN Human Rights Council since May 2006. I am also concerned about the reports of torture, ill-treatment, extra-judicial killings by the armed security forces for last four months under a state of emergency.
I therefore request you to ensure that the RAB officers involved in this case are investigated and appropriate action is taken against them if the allegation is proven. Should the investigation commences, I likewise request your office to impose immediate sanctions upon these officers to ensure a credible and independent investigation, and to refrain them from using their authority to possibly further harass the victim further. The victim and his colleagues must likewise be afforded with appropriate protection and security to avert any possible violent actions that could be taken against them following this incident as soon as possible. These are matters that the government should seriously consider and act urgently.
I also urge the UN human rights bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner, Human Rights Council and the independent experts, to take more active role to improve the deteriorated human rights situation in Bangladesh under a sate of emergency since January 2007.
I trust that you immediate take action on this serious matter.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed
Chief Adviser
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Chief Advisor
Tejgaon, Dhaka
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 8828160-79, 9888677
Fax: +880 2 8113244 or 3243 or 1015 or 1490
2. Mr. Mohammad Ruhul Amin
Chief Justice
Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562792
Fax: +880 2 9565058
3. Barrister Fida M Kamal
Attorney General of Bangladesh
Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562868
Fax: +880 2 9561568
4. Mr. Nur Mohammad
Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Bangladesh Police
Police Headquarters’
Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562054 or 7176451 or 7176677
Fax: +880 2 9563362 or 9563363
5. Mr. Hassan Mahmud Khandokar
Director General (DG)
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
RAB Headquarter
Uttara, Dhaka
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02- 8961105 (O)
Fax: +880 2 8962884 (O)
6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeal Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
