BANGLADESH: More than 3,000 people arrested and 10 people tortured to death

BANGLADESH: State terrorism; Mass arrests and torture by the army

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The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that more than 3,000 people have been arrested in a joint operation named “Operation Clean Heart” to crack down on criminals in which nearly 40,000 army troops are taking part. AHRC is extremely concerned that 10 people have died in mysterious circumstances during the ongoing operation.

According to the information we have received, checkpoints have been set up in many interdistrict routes where army personnel stop, question and search vehicles and perform body searches. In cities, house-to-house searches have been conducted in some areas, and occupants have been picked up for questioning. Some of them have returned home within hours, but others have not been seen for days. However, there has been no official information and no public announcement as to the circumstances under which the government felt compelled to call out the army. Moreover, nothing has been said under what legal framework the army action is taking place. The government says that the army had to be called in because the civil authorities were failing to cope with rising lawlessness, and thus, the apparent aim of the operation is to improve law and order.

Most worrisome is information we have received that the army is picking up people based on a list. However, there is no information about how the list has been prepared and how authentic it is. There have also been allegations that the armed forces are using excessive force during the raids and torturing many people during interrogation. Therefore, local human rights groups say many detainees have been sent to the hospital with severe injuries caused by beatings while in army custody. These serious developments have created a terrifying environment for most ordinary and innocent people.

For the last 13 days (the army operation began on Oct. 17), it has been reported that 10 people have died after being taken into custody by troops. Even though the government has claimed that all of the deaths were the result of heart attacks, the relatives of the victims have insisted that the detainees were tortured to death, and witnesses have reported marks on the bodies as they were taken to the hospital.

Based on Asia’s contemporary history, it appears that this type of military operation without any legal foundation is another attempt to silence the dissenting voices of the opposition, resulting in “state terrorism”, even though the authorities insist that the operation is to improve law and order and is not politically motivated.

Therefore, AHRC urges the government of Bangladesh to immediately stop its operation of mass arrests by the country’s armed forces that are terrorising innocent people and to investigate any reports of torture in army custody through an independent, impartial and competent body.
 

SUGGESTED ACTION

Please send your appeals to the government of Bangladesh, urging them to immediately stop the current operation of mass arrests by the army, to promptly investigate alleged cases of torture in army custody and to punish the army or police personnel involved in acts of torture.
 

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