Bangladeshi
students participate in a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: AP
NGO
Forum on ADB along with other civil society organizations around the world
expresses its strongest condemnation regarding the abusive shortcuts being used
by the Bangladesh authorities to solve the public outcry regarding the death of
two students last July 29 due to an over speeding bus.
The
Forum also demand that the authorities should immediately release anyone they
have arrested for peacefully criticizing the government, and instead
shouldprosecute those who are attacking students for demanding improved road
safety. Despite the clear and justifiable demands, this was met with
unlawful attacks by the Bangladesh authorities and the Chatro League [1]. They
arrested students, even girls, women, and children, who are just helping
restore order in the city. The authorities resorted to heavy
violence against the peaceful student protesters using batons, physical
threats, jamming mobile Internet connections, water cannons and tear gas to
disperse the marching protesters.
NGO
Forum on ADB also condemns the sexual harassment [2] faced by girls and women
during the attacks on the mass student protest. It was stated that
while this was happening police authorities were just standing by, taking
photos and videos to be able to identify the protesters. It was also reported
that the police did not make any attempt to stop these acts aimed at unarmed
youth and civilians.
Furthermore,
NGO Forum on ADB demands the immediate release of renowned photographer
andactivist, Mr. Shahidul Alam who was arrested from his house by 30 to 35
plainclothes police officers, this is after he gave an interview with Al
Jazeera regarding the protest, where he stated that what is happening is not
just an issue on road safety but is about a deeper more concerning crisis such
as - “looting of banks, the gagging of the media, the extrajudicial killings,
disappearing’s, bribery and corruption"[3].
Mr.
Shahidul Alam is facing charges under Section 57 of Information and
Communication Technology Act (ICT Act), which allows the prosecution of
anyperson who publishes, in electronic form, material that is fake and obscene;
defamatory; tends to deprave and corrupt its audience; causes, or may cause,
deterioration in law and order; prejudices the image of the state or a person;
or causes or may cause hurt to religious belief [4]. This law has
been used over and over again to prosecute those who criticize the government
or individual politicians. Along with Mr. Shahidul Alam; several journalists,
particularly photographers andvideographers have been persecuted and hurt by
police and Chatro League while they were documenting the protest actions.
Lastly,
NGO Forum on ADB thinks that this is a lucid proof of a populist and
authoritarian government encroaching on the space of civil society, promoting
repression, securitized environment, and criminalization of people, especially
youths who want raise key issues pertaining to governance and rule of law. We
urge your office to raise these issues with the necessary government agencies
and restore peace, dignity, free press, human rights, and democratic practice
in Bangladesh.
NGO
Forum on ADB demands the immediate release of Mr. Shahidul Alam from unlawful
imprisonment.
NGO
Forum on ADB demands immediate action by the government to end all forms
ofpersecution and suppression of journalists, press personnel and media.
NGO
Forum on ADB demands that government immediately end all forms of violence and
crackdown on peaceful protesters and reinstate healthy democratic practice in
the state. (By Mari Jeanie Derillo Santos)
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