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

October 30, 2002

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION
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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM
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30 October 2002
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UA-52-2002: More than 3,000 people arrested and 10 people tortured to death
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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 &quot;Operation Clean Heart&quot; 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 &quot;state terrorism&quot;, even though the authorities insist that the operation is to improve law and order and is not politically motivated.
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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.
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SUGGESTED ACTION
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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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SAMPLE LETTER (You may use your own words or use the following as a sample.)
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Dear
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I am extremely concerned that more than 3,000 people have been arrested in the joint operation named &quot;Operation Clean Heart&quot; to crack down on criminals in which nearly 40,000 army troops are taking part and in which 10 people have died in mysterious circumstances.
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I am especially worried about reports that the army is picking up people based on a list. However, there is no information about how this list has been prepared and how authentic it is. Moreover, there have been allegations that the armed forces are using excessive force during these raids and are torturing many people during interrogation. As a result of these serious developments, an atmosphere of fear has been created that is beginning to affect ordinary and innocent people in Bangladesh.
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According to the dark history of modern Asia, it is clear that this type of military operation without a legal foundation aims to silence the voice of the opposition in the country, resulting in &quot;state terrorism&quot;, even though government officials insist that the aim of the operation is to improve law and order and is not politically motivated.
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Therefore, I urge you to immediately stop the operation of mass arrests by the military that are terrorising innocent people and to investigate any reports of torture in army custody through an independent, impartial and competent body. I also urge you to bring to justice any army or police personnel involved in acts of torture.
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I look forward to learning about your prompt action to this serious matter.
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Thank you.
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Sincerely yours,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS TO;
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1. Honorable Prime Minister Khaleda Zia
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Prime Minister of Bangladesh
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Prime Minister's Office
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Old Parliament House,
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Tejgaon, Dhaka
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BANGLADESH
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Fax: +88 2 8113244, 811015, 8113243
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E-mail: pm@pmobd.org or psecretary@pmobd.org (to the Secretary)
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2. Mr. Alhaj Altaf Hossain Chowdhury
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Minister of Home Affairs
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Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh
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Fax: +88 02 8619667 or +88 02 955 2323
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3. Mr. Morshed Khan
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Foreign Minister
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
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Segun Bagicha, Dhaka,
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BANGLADESH
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Fax: 0088 / 02 / 8617448, 0088 / 02 / 9562163
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E-mail: pspmo@bangla.net
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And send the copy of your appeal to;
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Mr. Barrister Moudud Ahmed
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Ministry of Law, Justice &amp; Parliamentary Affairs
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Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh,
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Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
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Fax: +88 02 861 8557
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E-mail: minoflaw@bdonline.com
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Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-52-2002
Countries :
Issues :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.