Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the whereabouts of three professors of Rajshahi University remain unknown after they were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magitrate’s (CMM) Court of Rajshahi on 25 August 2007. None of them has been seen since. A report from a reliable source states that the teachers were sent to the “Joint Interrogation Cell” which is known as a torture cell in Dhaka on 28 August. Officials have not commented on this information.
CASE DETAILS:
According to the information we have received, at around 12:15am on 24 August 2007, the joint forces comprising of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the army went to C-9 apartment at Tower Bhaban on Fuller Road where Mr. Anwar Hossain, a professor, general secretary of the Teachers Association of Dhaka University resides. They carried weapons and identified themselves as joint forces however they did not show any identification or any warrant of arrest. They asked Mr. Anwar’s wife to get him ready with clothes and other things including some medicines. They informed her that higher authorities needed to talk with him and took him away without revealing where they were taking him. They also took his computer and mobile.
At around 12:20am on the same day, some joint forces out of them went to B-2 apartment at Tower Bhaban where Mr. Huran-or-Rashid, Dean, Faculty of Social Science of Dhaka University was staying. They entered the house with guns and arrested him without showing any warrant of arrest. They took Mr. Huran-or-Rashid with then saying that they would take him to the Shahbagh police station for interrogation and left.
Early morning on the same day, some law enforcement officers in Rajshahi went to the house of Mr. Saidur Rahman Khan (his photo), former vice chancellor, Rajshahi University at University Housing Society. They identified themselves as RAB personnel and took Mr. Saidur. They also did not tell him the reason of his arrest.
At around 2:45am on the same day, some RAB arrested Mr. Abdus Sobhan (his photo), a professor of Applied Physics and Electronic Engineering and convener of Progressive Teachers’ Society of Rajshahi University from his house in the campus. They said that they needed to talk with him however they failed to show a warrant of arrest and took him away.
At around 5:00am on the same day, other law enforcement arrested Mr. Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, associate professor of management department of Rajshahi University from his sister’s house on the campus. It is reported that they searched the house for other teachers during the night. They went to his house at 10:00pm on 23 August and again 2:00am on 24 August. Just before Mr. Moloy Bhowmik was taken away, he told a journalist over the phone that he did not know why they were looking for him.
The law enforcement agency told the family of the arrestees that they would take them to the police station nearby. After, when the family members went to the police station Mr. Habibur Rahman, the duty officer at the Motihar police station in Rajshahi announced that none of them were under his control.
On August 25, a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court, Dhaka placed two teachers of Dhaka University, Mr. Anwar Hossain and Mr. Huran-or-Rashid on a four-day remand for questioning. On the same day in the evening, the three professors of the Rajshahi University were produced before the CMM Court in Rajshahi. However, their whereabouts have not been discovered yet. A source reports that these three professors were sent to the “Joint Interrogation Cell”, which is an interrogation centre as well as a known torture cell, in Dhaka. When contacted none of the public or police officials have confirmed this information. It has been alleged by the family members of the detained teachers that they were brutally beaten by the law-enforcers in their custody. The families were denied access to visit the cell and are seriously worried about their physical condition.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write a letter to the authorities provided below and express your deep concern about three professors’ safety. Please urge them to discover their whereabouts as soon as possible. The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance calling for an intervention in this case.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
BANGLADESH: Whereabouts of three professors remain unknown after being produced in court
Name of victims:
1. Mr. Saidur Rahman Khan, a professor, former vice Chancellor, Rajshahi University
2. Mr. Abdus Sobhan, a professor of Applied Physics and Electronic Engineering, convener of Progressive Teachers’ Society of Rajshahi University
3. Mr. Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, a professor, Associate professor of management department of Rajshahi University
Alleged perpetrators: Joint forces comprising of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the army
Date of incident: Early morning 24 August 2007
Place of incident: In the premises of Rajshahi University
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the whereabouts of three professors from Rajshahi University after arbitrary arrest by the joint forces on 24 August 2007.
I was informed that at around 12:15am on August 24, the joint forces comprising of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the army arrested Mr. Anwar Hossain, a professor of Dhaka University. They identified themselves as joint forces however they did not show any identification or any warrant of arrest. They noted that higher authorities needed to talk with him and took him away without telling the place where they took him. They also took his computer and mobile.
At around 12:20am on the same day, some joint forces went to B-2 apartment at Tower Bhaban where Mr. Huran-or-Rashid, a professor of Dhaka University was staying. They entered the house with guns and arrested him without showing any warrant of arrest. They took Mr. Huran-or-Rashid with saying that they would take him to the Shahbagh police station for interrogation and took him away.
Early morning on the same day, some law enforcement in Rajshahi went to the house of Mr. Saidur Rahman Khan, a professor of Rajshahi University at Bihas. They identified as RAB personnel and took Mr. Saidur. They also did not tell him the reason and showed a warrant of arrest and took him away.
At around 2:45am on the same day, some RAB arrested Mr. Abdus Sobhan, a professor also convener of Progressive Teachers’ Society of Rajshahi University from his house in the campus. They said that they needed to talk with him however they failed to show a warrant of arrest and took him away.
At around 5:00am on the same day, other law enforcement arrested Mr. Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, associate professor of Rajshahi University from his sister’s house on the campus. It is reported that they searched the houses for teachers during the night. They went to his house at 10:00pm on 23 August and again 2:00am on 24 August. Just before Mr. Moloy Bhowmik was taken away, he said to a journalist over the phone saying that he did not know why they were looking for him.
The law enforcement agency told the family of the arrestees in Rajshahi University that they would take them to the police station nearby. The family went to the police station nearby however, Mr. Habibur Rahman, on duty officer at the Motihar police station in Rajshahi announced that none of them were under the control.
I was also informed that on August 25, a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Dhaka placed two teachers of Dhaka University, Mr. Anwar Hossain and Mr. Huran-or-Rashid on a four-day remand for questioning. On the same day in the evening, the three professors of the Rajshahi University were produced before the CMM Court in Rajshahi. However, their whereabouts have not been covered yet. A source reports that these three professors were sent to the “Joint Interrogation Cell”, which is an interrogation as well as known as a torture cell, in Dhaka. None of the public or police officials did confirm this information when contacted. It has been alleged by the family members of the detained teachers that they were brutally beaten by the law-enforcers in their custodies. The families were denied access to visit the cell or seriously worried about their physical conditions.
It is clear that there are high possibilities of torture to the victims. Therefore, I urge you to exhaust all means to locate the victims’ whereabouts as a matter of priority. The authorities concerned must also actively cooperate and involved the victim’s family in this process. I also urge you to provide adequate and necessary assistance to the victim’s family. As you are aware, the families suffered mentally and emotionally.
I await your prompt action in this case.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS 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. Barrister Moinul Hossain
Adviser
Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs
Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-7160627 (O)
Fax: +88-02-7168557 (O)
3. General Moeen U Ahmed
Chief of Army Staff
Bangladesh Army
Army Headquarters
Dhaka Cantonment
Dhaka
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9870011
Fax: +880 2 8754455
4. 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
5. 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
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
