Bangladesh
30.08.04
Urgent Interventions
Bangladesh: risk of torture of Mr. Rafique al-Islam
Case BGD 300804
Arbitrary arrest / risk of torture / fear for life
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Bangladesh.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of the arrest and detention of Mr. Rafique al-Islam, responsible for the activities of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in Bangladesh and the representative of Nonviolence International in the country.
According to the information received, Mr. Rafique al-Islam was arrested at his home in Cox’s Bazar, at about 2:30 p.m. on 21 August 2004, by military officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite force created to combat serious crimes and terrorism in Bangladesh. During the arrest, the RAB members also seized equipment and documents from Mr. Rafique al-Islam’s office. They then took him to Cox’s Bazar prison. His family and his lawyer were uninformed of the charges brought against him, which made it difficult for the latter to plan a legal defense for his client. A hearing of the charges against him was due to take place on 26 August 2004, but was postponed to Sunday 29 August 2004.
According to the information received, in the afternoon of 29 August 2004, Mr. al-Islam was remanded into the custody of the RAB for the purpose of interrogation. He is to be transferred to another location, which is unknown to the family. This is of particular concern considering the fact that, according to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (a member of the OMCT network), several individuals were arrested and tortured by RAB officials in the beginning of August 2004. The brutal torture of one of the victims allegedly led to his death.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam, given the reported practices of ill-treatment and torture used by RAB officials, as well as the report of a death following acts of torture. OMCT calls upon the authorities to guarantee the personal integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam in all circumstances, to keep his family informed of his whereabouts at all times and, in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, to order his immediate release.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Bangladesh urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam;
ii. keep the family informed of Mr. Rafique al-Islam’s whereabouts at all times;
iii. order his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
iv. order a thorough and impartial investigation into theses events, in order to bring those responsible to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Please also write to the embassies of Bangladesh in your respective country.
Geneva, 30 August 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary arrest / risk of torture / fear for life
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Bangladesh.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of the arrest and detention of Mr. Rafique al-Islam, responsible for the activities of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in Bangladesh and the representative of Nonviolence International in the country.
According to the information received, Mr. Rafique al-Islam was arrested at his home in Cox’s Bazar, at about 2:30 p.m. on 21 August 2004, by military officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite force created to combat serious crimes and terrorism in Bangladesh. During the arrest, the RAB members also seized equipment and documents from Mr. Rafique al-Islam’s office. They then took him to Cox’s Bazar prison. His family and his lawyer were uninformed of the charges brought against him, which made it difficult for the latter to plan a legal defense for his client. A hearing of the charges against him was due to take place on 26 August 2004, but was postponed to Sunday 29 August 2004.
According to the information received, in the afternoon of 29 August 2004, Mr. al-Islam was remanded into the custody of the RAB for the purpose of interrogation. He is to be transferred to another location, which is unknown to the family. This is of particular concern considering the fact that, according to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (a member of the OMCT network), several individuals were arrested and tortured by RAB officials in the beginning of August 2004. The brutal torture of one of the victims allegedly led to his death.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam, given the reported practices of ill-treatment and torture used by RAB officials, as well as the report of a death following acts of torture. OMCT calls upon the authorities to guarantee the personal integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam in all circumstances, to keep his family informed of his whereabouts at all times and, in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, to order his immediate release.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Bangladesh urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Rafique al-Islam;
ii. keep the family informed of Mr. Rafique al-Islam’s whereabouts at all times;
iii. order his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
iv. order a thorough and impartial investigation into theses events, in order to bring those responsible to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
- Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Office of the Prime Minister, Gona Bhaban, Sher-e Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: + 880 2 811 3244/ 3243/ 1015 / 1490, Email: pm@pmobd.org or psecretary@pmobd.org
- Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed, President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangabhaban, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 2 9566242
- Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh Secretariat, Building 4, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 02 8619667/ +88 02 955 2323
- Ambassadeur, Ali, Toufiq, Rue de Lausanne 65, CH-1202, Genève, Suisse, e-mail : mission.bangladesh@ties.itu.int, mission.bangladesh@bluewin.ch, fax: +4122 738 46 16
Please also write to the embassies of Bangladesh in your respective country.
Geneva, 30 August 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.