Bangladesh, a progressive country, is at risk at the hands of a ruthless regime, which is killing the opposition, labor and media. We must act now to save Bangladesh from sliding backward. At the eve of the Bangladesh Independence Day, your dua and few minutes can help this third most populated Muslim country.

Bangladesh is being divided today by what we witnessed 40 years ago in its war of independence. Those responsible for crimes must be punished through due process of law, not through a controversial kangaroo court whose chief judge just resigned.

Forty year old accusations, however, cannot be used to eliminate the political opposition today, which is in violation of human rights and standards of justice.

Salient Features of an Extremely Critical Report by Economist

After examining the 17 hours of evidence, the prestigious Economist magazine concluded:

“These concerns are so serious that there is a risk not only of a miscarriage of justice affecting the individual defendants, but also that the wrongs which Bangladesh has already suffered will be aggravated by the flawed process of the tribunal. That would not heal the country’s wounds, but deepen them.” The Economist noted the following:

·      --------------Evidence suggests that the government pressured the judges.

·      --------------Evidence suggests that one Brussels based person was guiding both the prosecutor as well as the chief judge.

·      --------------Evidence suggests that the guilty verdict was reached by the judge before even defense witnesses were done.

·      --------------“It is not an international court” since it is not founded on international law.

Action Suggested:

·      Call Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Today: 202-647-6575.

·      Call Bangladesh Desk at the State Department: 202-647-9516 & 202-647-1450

·      Also email Secretary of State through this page. In subject write Save Opposition in Bangladesh: http://tiny.cc/byffdw

Ask to Reconstitute the Tribunal or Establish a Truth Commission:

Ask her to ask Bangladesh government for the following:

·      Move forward by adopting the South African model of Truth and Reconciliation Commission which will bring the nation together instead of a fresh cycle of revenge and division which will cause Bangladesh to slide back.

·      Or reconstitute the tribunal based on the international standards of war crimes, allowing international judges and lawyers along with human rights observers so that fairness of the process is transparent. 

Background:

During the war of independence which involved a civil war and a war between India and Pakistan, there were many Bangladeshis who sided with Pakistan. Some of those leaders, including Maulana Mojahed and Maulana Nizami, who have since served as successful ministers for Bangladesh government and are now the opposition leaders, are being tried for rape and murder by the current government. 

Bangladesh is seeing a strong pattern of human rights violations, torture, murder and disappearances of a growing number of opposition leaders, labor activists, student leaders and journalists by the government as documented by the Human Rights Watch.

Further Reading

Amnesty Report: http://tinyurl.com/6un3l43

Reporters without Border: http://tiny.cc/vn4lcwTweet with hashtag #save #Bangladesh

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