Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a woman was arrested, assaulted and intimidated by the Lalbag police after they illegally raider her house. The police arrested the woman after receiving money from a group of toll collectors, who had earlier beaten the womans son at the Sheikh Sahebbazar crossing.
The police, upon raiding the womans house, beat her with sticks and tore her clothes off. She sustained considerable injuries during this assault and the shame of being forced naked onto the street at the front of her house.
Meanwhile, the police have reportedly intimidated the victim and her son stating that they will be further harassed if the toll collectors face any further problems from them.
The victim has filed a case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court in Dhaka against the police and the toll collectors.
In light of this case, the AHRC is calling upon you to write letters to the relevant authorities in Bangladesh, in particular, the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs, urging them to take immediate disciplinary and legal action against the errant policemen of the Lalbag police station. The necessary reparations for the victims must also be met.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
…………………………………
DETAILED INFORMATION:
Name of the victims:
1. Mrs. Rozina Begum (35), living at No. 206/1, Lalbag Road in the Sheikh Sahebbazar area under Lalbag police station in Dhaka
2. Imran, Rozinas son
Name of alleged perpetrators: Sub Inspector Atiar Rahman and four to five policemen attached to the Lalbag police station
Date of incident: 13 November 2005
Case Details:
On 13 November 2005, a group of toll collectors named Jajju, Rajju, Salehin, Nipu and Yar Khan went to Imrans shop. They demanded that he pay money as a toll for his shop. Imran, however, refused to pay an was subsequently beaten by the men at the Sheikh Sahebbazar crossing. As a result he sustained considerable injuries to his body. The men, however, assured Imran that they would hold an arbitration about the incident the following day where all would be resolved. What they did instead, however, was approach the Lalbag police and allegedly request them to take revenge on Imran for refusing to pay the toll.
On 15 November 2005, at around 3.00am, four to five policemen from the Lalbag police station, led by Sub Inspector Atiar Rahman, raided the house of Rozina Begum, who is Imrans mother. The police along with the toll collectors pulled Rozina out from her house onto the street. They beat her with sticks and tore her clothes off. The police also allegedly stole jewelry that the victim had been wearing. At the same time, the police intimidated both Rozina and Imran warning that further trouble would come to them if they continued to refuse to pay the toll collectors money.
Rozina subsequently lodged a case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates (CMM) Court on 8 December 2005. In the prosecution she mentioned that the police of Lalbag police station refused to record her case as a First Information Report (FIR), due to her complaint being made against policemen. Within the lodged case before the CMM, Rozina also reported the alleged beating of her and her son, the molestation of her by the police, the theft of her jewelry and the corruption by the police in accepting money from the tax collectors to intimidate innocent victims.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Magistrate, Mr. AJM Baki Billah ordered the Deputy Commissioner of the Detective Branch of Police of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to take legal action after investigation this case.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter immediately to the Inspector General of Police and the other persons listed below expressing your concern about the arbitrary raid, torture and molestation of a woman, the torture of her son and the theft of their belongings. Please ask them to take prompt action in investigating the conduct of the police and to ensure that justice is attained for the woman and her son.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mr. _______________,
BANGLADESH: Woman and her son beaten and further threatened by the Lalbag police in Dhaka
Name of the victims:
1. Mrs. Rozina Begum (35), living at No. 206/1, Lalbag Road in the Sheikh Sahebbazar area under Lalbag police station in Dhaka
2. Imran, Rozinas son
Name of alleged perpetrators: Sub Inspector Atiar Rahman and four to five policemen attached to the Lalbag police station
Date of incident: 13 November 2005
I am writing to bring to your attention a recent case I have learned about involving a woman who was arrested, assaulted and intimidated by the Lalbag police after they illegally raider her house. According to the information I have received, the police arrested the woman after receiving money from a group of toll collectors, who had earlier beaten the womans son at the Sheikh Sahebbazar crossing.
The police, upon raiding the womans house, beat her with sticks and tore her clothes off. She sustained considerable injuries during this assault and the shame of being forced naked onto the street at the front of her house. Additionally, the police reportedly intimidated the victim and her son warning them that they would be further harassed if the toll collectors faced any further problems from them.
In light of this, I request that you order a prompt and thorough investigation into the alleged conduct of the police. If it is found that the alleged perpetrators committed crimes against the victims, then they must be made accountable for their actions and if found guilty of torture, indicted under the prevailing domestic laws of your country. What is more, if the charges of corruption and patronisation of terrorism are found to be true then the Lalbag Police must be charged and forced to compensate the victims for the losses they have suffered. During the investigation of the police, protection must be afforded to the family of the victim.
Such action by the police is common practice in many of Bangladeshs police stations and the offices of other law enforcing agents. It reflects the lack of training many police officers have in terms of investigation skills, and the excessive powers they wield and abuse.
I therefore urge you and other government officials in Bangladesh to consider reforming your current law enforcement system by introducing better training programmes for your police officers and to make them more accountable for the abuses they commit against ordinary citizens of Bangladesh.
I look forward to your urgent intervention in this matter.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND LETTER TO:
1. Mr. Abdul Quayum
Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Police Headquarters
Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-9562054, 7176451, 7176677, 8362552 or 8362553
Fax: +88-02-9563362, 9563363
2. Mr. SM Mizanur Rahman
Commissioner
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)
The DMP Headquarters
1, Shaheed Captain Monsur Ali Road
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-8322746, 8316248, 8855922
Fax: +88-02-8322746
3. Mr. Md. Lutfozzaman Babor
State Minister
The Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-7169069, 8359000
Fax: + 88-02-7160405, 7164788
4. Mr. Anwarul Karim
Joint Secretary (Police)
Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-7164680, 8953012
Fax: +88-02-7171592
5. Mr. A. J. Mohammad Ali
The Attorney General of Bangladesh
The Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
6. Mr. Syed J. R. Mudassir Husain
The Chief Justice
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
7. Prof. Manfred Nowak
Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture
Attn:Mr.Sarir Syed
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9230
Fax: +41 22 9179016 (general)
E-mail: ssyed@ohchr.org
8. Ms.Leila Zerrougui
Chairperson
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax:+41 22 917 9006 (ATTENTION:Working Group on Arbitrary Detention)
E-mail: mdelalama@ohchr.org
9. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Elimination of violence against women
c/o Ms Lucinda Ohanlon
Room 3-042
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9615
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: lohanlon@ohchr.org
Thank you.
Urgent Appeal Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
