the recent violence, genocide and atrocities’ in bangladesh committed by the police and ruling...

7/29/2019 The recent violence, genocide and atrocities in Bangladesh committed by the police and ruling party cadres

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evsjv`k RvgvqvZ BmjvgxBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami

505, Eliphant Road, Bara Maghbazar, Dhaka- 1217, Phone: 9331581, Fax: 8321212 Email: [email protected], Web:www.jamaat-e-islami.org

Date: March 15, 2013.

Diplomatic briefing by the Acting Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on the

recent violence, genocide and atrocities committed by the police and ruling party

cadres.

Dear Excellency

It is always great pleasure to be in touch with you. The excellence of friendly ties always keeps us

closer and we aspire to move forward with the common shared goals. It is our great honor tomention the significant contribution and great friendship from your end.

Currently we are undergoing through some political challenges. We are optimistic about getting kind

assistance and cooperation from all of our trusted friends and partners to meet our long cherished

aspirations ofstrengthening democracy and preserving human rights. Our todays letter intends to

inform you about the current situation of Bangladesh.

Regrettably it is fact that, as a political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has become the worst

victim of political vendetta and well-organized propaganda. A certain quarter is carrying ill-campaign

against Jamaat-e-Islami to tarnish its image and to create a negative impression against the leaders

and activists of this party. We are writing this letter to you to clarify our position in regards to the

reported allegations brought against Jamaat-e-Islami and at the same time to reveal the incidents and

happenings, which had been occurred across the country in recent times.

Jamaat-e-Islami: Victim of Suppression:

Since the incumbent Awami League led grand alliance government came to the office, Bangladesh

Jamaat-e-Islami has been facing the worst ever suppression and torture. Using the ruling party men

controlled media and the state apparatus, the government had demonized the party. They also

initiated a hate campaign against the party to create a negative perception among the people. The

government had arrested the top leaders of the party in June, 2010 including the party ChiefMaulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, former Chief Professor Golam Azam , Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana

Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Assistant Secretary

General Mohammad Qamaruzzaman and Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla. In the

September, 2011 the law enforcement agencies also arrested the acting Secretary General ATM

Azharul Islam from the party office. Since then, the party central office has been remaining closed.

Police also detained Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Abdus Sobhan, acting Secretary general Dr. Shafiqur
http://www.jamaat-e-islami.org/http://www.jamaat-e-islami.org/http://www.jamaat-e-islami.org/http://www.jamaat-e-islami.org/


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Rahman, Central Executive Committee member Mir Quasem Ali and others. Police carried raids

repeatedly into the central and city offices of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and subsequently closed

the offices, which are still out of functions.

In a recent move, police also carried hour long raid inside the office of the main opposition BNP.

Police ransacked, vandalized and looted the offices accessories indiscriminately. Police also arrested

some 157 leaders and activists from the party office without any warrant including its acting

secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, former Dhaka city mayor and several formerministers and law makers. Such an arrogant, illogical and undemocratic approach from the police

forces is totally unprecedented. This incident proves, how much desperate the government is to

eliminate its opponents.

Defying the rules and norms of democracy and without paying any heed to the constitutional rights,

the government is conducting a massive crackdown against Jamaat-e-Islami and its leader and

activists. For last 53 months, the authority is not allowing the party to hold any demonstration or

processions. Since the government came into the power, 2200 Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra

Shibir activists had been taken into police remand. Police had made more than 400 hundreds men

crippled forever by carrying inhuman torture against them. Unbelievably, some 21, 000 cases hadbeen filed against some 5 hundred thousand Jamaat-Shibir activists nationwide. Central, city and

several districts level offices of Jamaat-e-Islami have been vandalized and ransacked by the clamp

down of the police and the ruling party cadres. The atrocities of the police force have reached into

severe inhuman level. There are some incidents which will lead the humanity to burst into tears.

Such as; after arresting a Shibir activist, officer-in-charge of a police station of Chittagong town

killed him by pulling his eyes up. While, a police official in Dhakas Tejgaon police station shot 7

rounds of bullet to the leg of a detained Shibir activists in order to make him cripple forever.

The government and its police force also violated all traditions, norms and laws of human rights in

treating the women. Without any allegations, they arrested the ladies with religious attires and tookthem into police remand. They also imprisoned them defying the physical incapacity and

helplessness of a pregnant women and aged ladies.

But we are asserting our position that, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is a registered political party and

it had representation in the National Parliament since the beginning of its journey. Since its function

and activities commenced in the country, there is no record or allegations of carrying minority

torture or getting involved with violence against this party. Jamaat-e-Islami does not believe in act of

terrorism. Rather, history reveals that, the party has played an outstanding role in all the democratic

movement of the country including the movement of establishing non-party caretaker government,

movement against the autocratic regime and ensuring peoples rights to cast their votes. We always

wanted to hold peaceful demonstration and sought the permission of the police force to observe the

declared programs. But the authority denied giving permissions; rather they created obstruction to

foil our programs. The government has become violent and showing unprecedented and

undemocratic approaches this time to resist the opposition quarters, particularly Bangladesh Jamaat-

e-Islami.


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Background of the Mass killing in the first week of March, 2013

Jamaat-e-Islami believes in rules of law and supports trial of all the offences. Despite that, the party

had a reservation about the International Crimes Tribunal as we consider that this tribunal has been

formed to serve the political interest of the incumbent government. Even though, as a rule abiding

party, Jamaat-e-Islami took part in all the legal procedure of the tribunal.

On last 5th

February, the tribunal awarded the detained Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Abdul Quader Molla with life term imprisonment. Jamaat-e-Islami vehemently rejected the

verdict citing that, government is abusing the tribunal to meet its ill-intention of eliminating the

opposition quarters. The defence lawyer in case of Abdul Quader Molla already appealed against the

tribunal verdict. But there is an opposite side of the coin. Since 5 th February, a group of the youth

section launched a demonstration in Shahbag of the capital demanding death penalty to Abdul

Quader Molla and all other war crimes accused. Bloggers and Online Activists, a forum of some

atheist and secular youths initiated the demonstration. Due to their relentless pressure, government

brought amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal Act, 1973 creating a provision for the

government side to file appeal against any verdict of the tribunal. In the meantime, some blogs and

columns of the Shahbag movement organizers published in some news media which containsderogatory comments and indecent remark against Islam and its holy Prophet. Such a news outraged

massive protest across the country. Consequently, Islam loving people declared some peaceful

programs protesting those anti-Islamic bloggers. While observing those programs, police fired

indiscriminately upon the protesters that killed 20 people at a stretch including 7 in Manikganj and

rest of the others in Coxs Bazar and port city Chittagong.

The saga of genocide was made on 28th February. On this day, the controversial International

Crimes Tribunal sentenced the renowned preacher and religious scholar Mawlana Delwar Hossain

Sayeedi to death. The tribunal awarded this aged religious leader with death penalty in two particular

counts, which are full of factual contradictions and anomalies. Jamaat-e-Islami instantly upheld thoseloopholes and rejected the verdict as a whole terming it as a government sponsored conspiracy to

wipe out the opposition sections. Along with the party reaction, the entire Bangladesh outbursts into

furious protests. Millions of angry protesters took to the streets and the police fired thousands

rounds of bullets to foil the peaceful demonstration of the protesters. The result was 73 men,

women and children died in a single day, just within 8 hours. Most of the deceased were general

people, who loved Maulana Sayedee for his religious sermon and who were truly fascinated by the

lifelong benevolent deeds of this great religious scholar. It was the deadliest day in Bangladeshs

history since the independence war of 1971.


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In consecutive four days of all out protests throughout the whole country in general and in the

western-northern part and southern eastern part in particular; more than 143 protesters were killed

by police. Rotten corps of protesters were recovered from ponds and paddy fields during these

clashes. Some estimates suggest the figure may be higher. Youtube videos captured in hidden

camera showed police open fired and killed protesters when they were handcuffed 1. Around ten

thousand people were wounded and many of them died from a critical condition, having barred by

police from getting treatment. In the 5 day lock brutal crackdown and indiscriminate fire of police, a

total of 147 men were killed including 7 in Manikganj, 5 in Pabna, 5 in Shirajganj, one killed in

Natore, 11 in Gaibandha,6 in Sylhet, 4 in Moulovi Bazar, 9 were killed sea shore town of Coxs

Bazar, one in Comilla, 3 in Noakhali, 2 in Chandpur, 2 in Laxmipur, 18 men were killed in Northern

district of Bogra, 4 in Jhinaidha, 12 in Chittagong, 17 people were killed in Shatkhira, 10 in Rangpur,

3 in Chapai Nawabganj, 5 killed in Thakurgaon, 7 were killed in neighboring Joypurhat district, one

in Nilphamari, 5 in Rajshahi, 3 in Dinajpur and one man was killed in Gazipur district. Police also

fired bullets towards peaceful procession in Dhaka, its adjacent district Narayanganj massively that

left hundreds of people wounded. But unfortunately, most of these incidents of murder and assault

failed to get due coverage in the mass media.

A handful number of media reported these incidences. The reason could be clear from a recent

study by former Chief of BBC Bangla Service Sirajur Rahman, which suggests that 95% of the media

in Bangladesh are prominently pro-ruling party Awami Leauge.

It was the third verdict from the Tribunal which was already declassed as a domestic court and

criticized by Human Rights Watch, UN Human Rights body, International Bar association, Amnesty

International and a number of rights groups and international bodies for neither following

international standards nor maintaining the domestic rights since its formation. More recently a

Skype conversation scandal revealed in the British magazine The Economist suggests 2 a collusion

among the judges, the prosecution and the law minister so as to deliver conviction judgments in

exchange of promotion for the judges. The scandal also revealed the Marxist and Awamibackground of all the judges, the infamous corrupt background of a judge and the overall pattern of

the collusive judiciary of Bangladesh which is at the least not independent.

As I quoted earlier, there is another dimension of this conflict which is the weirdest of its kind and

that is the Shahbagh movement. Since the movement begins, they were voicing for the death penalty

of all war crimes accused. Later some political elements penetrated into their movement.

Subsequently, they extended their 6 point demands3 that all the leaders of Jamaat e Islami facing the

trial have to be hanged and they literally shouted no less. There demand includes banning of Islam

oriented institutions, Hospitals and a number of other businesses organizations. Amnesty

International urged Bangladesh to stop these demands of mob-justice.4

One thing that is commonamong all these eclectic collection of bloggers is that, they all hate Islam which is clear from their

1www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQ

2Trying war crimes in Bangladesh: The trial of the birth of a nation

3http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-9383134http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQhttp://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-938313http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-938313http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-938313http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/enhttp://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/enhttp://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/enhttp://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/enhttp://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-938313http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQ


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manifested demands and their proven track record of blogging. There had been massive protests by

all the Islamic groups, parties and schools against the anti-Islamic campaign from Shahbag which

disseminated vulgar campaigns against Allah and Muhammad.5 However, the sit-in continues, one of

its kind being sponsored by the government intelligence agencies, receiving 24 hour elite security

facilities around the Shahbag square, gun-man for 19 bloggers, free wi-fi internet connections and

free lunches from government and its student wing hitherto the latest verdict. Government

ministers, prime minister herself participated in different activities of this protest! When the verdict

of death sentence in the case of Mawlana Sayeedi came in, then independent observers like Human

Rights Watch speculated that, the verdict might have had influenced by the extra-judicial demands

from Shahbag.6

5Exclusive Daily Amar Desh report: Audacious Islamophobic Culture Amongst Bloggers- Part 1

http://shahbagexposed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/exclusive-daily-amar-desh-report.html6http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trials
http://shahbagexposed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/exclusive-daily-amar-desh-report.htmlhttp://shahbagexposed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/exclusive-daily-amar-desh-report.htmlhttp://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trialshttp://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trialshttp://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trialshttp://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trialshttp://shahbagexposed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/exclusive-daily-amar-desh-report.html


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Is Jamaat violent?

Soon after the verdict declaration, the entire country burst in to protests. Maulana Sayedee is not

only a popular leader, as a religious preacher he has millions of followers in Bangladesh and across

the world. Numbers of followers were seen reading the Quran while observing the protests. From

villages to towns and cities, people of all ages, male and female in some places, took to the streets.They only demanded for immediate release of Allama Sayedee. Their protests were nothing but

demanding for justice. Police put down the mass protest using fire arms, guns, tear shells, charging

baton and taking every other way and left the people died on the streets. Police is now licensed to

carry on genocide and mass killing by the incumbent government led by Awami League and its

leader Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister. Otherwise, such mass killing would not have been

happened across the country for protesting a controversial verdict. The state agency wages the worst

stern hand to suppress the mass outbursts. In the record book of Bangladesh, no such mass killing

in one day has been found. The genocide has been carried upon the order of the government, led by

Awami League.

The allegation of carrying torture on minority:

Like the all other protest and movement, during this demonstration a group of opportunists became

active to achieve their interest. A group of ruling party cadres tore national flags; they reportedly

carried attack on the historical monuments like Shahid Minar and more precisely upon the minority

sections and their establishments like temples and houses in several districts including Bogra,

Shatkhira and Tangail. This heinous attack had been carried out with an ill-intention of damaging the

century long communal harmony of Bangladesh. Many ruling party cadres were arrested by the

police while fleeing away after carrying attack on these establishments. Later, police released them

terming insane. Though most of the media paid a poor coverage to the above mentioned genocide,

but they surprisingly picked up the issues of these minority torture incidents. Unfortunately, out of

ideological differences and political vengeance, they started to blame Jamaat-e-Islami for this

condemnable attack.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, as a righteous and democratic party promptly responded to such

allegations and issued statement denying all such reported allegations against the party and

vehemently condemned such attack on the minority sections. Jamaat-e-Islami also conducted an

internal investigation into the allegation and found that its leaders and activists were no way involved

with these notorious activities. Condemning all the attacks on minorities, Jamaat-e-Islami called

upon the government to form a judicial inquiry committee to probe into the incidents. The central

wing of the party also asked its all grassroots activists and workers to be sincere in protecting the

establishments of the minorities. The leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami across the country

complied with the order of the high ups and putting their lives at risk, they guarded the Hindu

temples round the clock. Following picture shows how the Jamaat-e-Islami and Shibir activists

protected the minority establishments in different places nationwide.


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Deadly killing by police and ruling party men in the first week of March, 2013


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Instant Massive Protest

If protesters were allowed to stage protests..

On fourth February, 2013 unusual scene attracted most Dhaka city dwellers. A number of youngmen were seen offering flowers to police members on duty. The busy roads of Dhakas commercialhub Motijheel were crowded with thousands of people, belong to a political party. It was a rally of

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the main ally of the main opposition BNP.

Many were astounded, eye brows were frowned. Why Jamaat has staged such rally and why policehave not said anything to them? May be they were right since many horrendous reports of policeand Jamaat-Shbir clash were regular phenomenon of Bangladeshs news media. May be theyexpected Jamaats program would have been clamped down since they had carried out attacks onpolice.


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But the party has always demanded for its political rights and promised to hold peaceful politicalprograms. Their pleading notes to police and to the administration have been put at the lowerbottom of waste baskets since the Awami Leauge tenure. They got only one chance and theyperformed that peacefully. All media reported no violence occurred.

If political rights are provided to the people, if they are not forced to set to the wall of no return,could there be much violence and clash between protesters and law enforcers? The Motijheel

incident put the watershed.

We have experienced from the matter of the Honorable Nobel Peace Laureate Professor

Muhammad Yunus that how disrespectful the government is to the international communities and

how it can play its plot to materialize its vendetta. The same thing is recurring. After carrying the

mass killing, the government is abusing the corpses of polices to yield ill-political benefits and

sympathy from the world communities. We are totally shocked that the government gets this brutal

complacency even after violating the rights of human in the worst scale. We strongly say

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is a political organization and believes only in democratic processes not

in violence. We further want to assert that, each and every killing during this genocide was occurred

due to police fire. But the government out of its ill-intentions misrepresented the scenario to the

global communities.

Expressing solidarity with the spirit of democracy and peaceful political and constitutional rights,

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is pressing the following demands:

a. Jamaat-e-Islami, as a democratic party condemns all types of attacks upon the people of

other faiths and religions. The party wants judicial investigation into this notorious incidents

and demand due punishment of the criminals who were involved with these misdeeds.


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b. If any Jamaat activist are found involved with this brutal attack, stern action will be taken

against them according to the party charter.

c. Jamaat-e-Islami will take every step to rehabilitate the victim minorities. Jamaat-e-Islami is

ready to extend its hands of cooperation to any organizations which would come forward to

assist this helpless section of people.

d. Jamaat-e-Islami is also keen to assist the international bodies which will come to help theseminorities in rehabilitation and financing procedures.

e. Jamaat-e-Islami demands lawful measures against the personnel who had been involved with

the brutal genocide of the countrys history

f. The party also calls upon the human rights watchdogs to be more concern about the

genocide and indiscriminate police fire on peaceful protesters

g. To put an end to the ongoing instability and political turmoil of the country, Bangladesh

Jamaat-e-Islami urged all the concerned sections to leave the path of wipe out and

eliminating the dissidents and to seat into dialogue with the political parties who haverepresentation in the Parliament.

Sincerely

Moqbul AhmedActing AmeerBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

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