Friday, October 10, 2008

Ranglai Mro tortured, sentenced to 17 yrs in Bangladesh

Ranglai Mro was arrested in March 2007 and false charges brought against him.

Ranglai is a local Headman and ran an Indigenous NGO in Bandarban, CHT Bangladesh called Mrochet. Mrochet was a partner iof DfID. Ranglai's main crime was to protest the displacement of Indigenous and Bengali people from villages to make way for a military training camp. Ranglai was arrested in March 2007, brutally tortured at the Army Cantonment in Bandarban. He was finally transferred to Chittagong College Medical Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He was charged with possessing a firearm and bullet. His lawyers maintain he had a license for the gun. But allege that they were unable to bring any witnesses.

The sentence is also disproportionate to any alleged crime and Ranglai was denied a fair trial or the due process of law. Instead he is one of the thousands detained without fair trial under the current military backed Caretaker regime.

It is essential the thousands of innocent political prisoners unlawfully detained under false charges by the Army and RAB are released prior to the elections in Bangladesh.

Here is a link to the Amnesty International Urgent Action about Ranglai:
www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA12/003/2008/en/ef596e...
Survival International: www.survival-international.org/news/2483

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Sheikh Hasina and Lord Avebury at the House of Lords

Sheikh Hasina, ex Prime Minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Awami League and Lord Eric Avebury arrive at the Moses Room in the House of Lords for a Conference on Democracy, Human Rights and the prospect of Free and Fair Elections in Bangladesh, Thursday 9th October 2008. The event was organised by the International Bangladesh Foundation. Lord Avebury chaired the packed, high security conference and gave an introduction to Sheikh Hasina and her recent incarceration as well as her achievements whilst in power in Bangladesh.

"We want democracy and power transferred back to the people by the ballot and not the bullet," Sheikha Hasina demands.

"Emergency Rule cannot continue for months and years. There is provision for Emergency to last for 120 days. Why is there still a State of Emergency? The Emergency should be withdrawn."


Statements of support for Sheika Hasina were made by members of the British Awami League and the Women's UK Awami League, as well as members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, including Baroness Pola Uddin, Lord Dholakia and also Harry Cohen MP for Leyton and Wanstead, Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington North and Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch.


Brad Adams echoed the call of Sheikh Hasina and others speaking for the need to remove the State of Emergency in order for free and fair elections to take place. He also drew parallels with Pakistan where a pre-requisite of the election was the removal of Emergency Rule. He also stressed the importance of ending impunity that exists, whichever party is successful in the elections planned for 18th December 2008. "There are concerns that leading members of the Banlgadesh Army and military forces are putting people in key positions of power in a bid to hold on to power after the elections."


The support by the current Labour Government of the military backed Caretaker Government of Bangladesh and the lack of condemnation of the excesses of the Bangladesh Army, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in suppressing political opponents was also called into question.

I was able to ask Sheikh Hasina a question about the situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Firstly let me congratulate Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League Party for being the first Government of Bangladesh to earnestly attempt to solve the inequality and conflict suffered by the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, with the historic signing of the Peace Accords in 1997.

Does Sheikh Hasina believe that free and fair elections are possible in the Chittagong Hill Tracts given the historic policies that have so drastically changed the population balance in the region? (Such as the forced resettlement policy that has brought Bengali settlers from the plains that have altered the demographic balance in the region).

Sheikh Hasina reiterated her own as well as the Awami League's commitment to implementing the Peace Accord. She also reaffirmed the importance of the Land Commission in resolving the problems in the CHT. Sheikh Hasina affirmed that her Government would do more if returned to power and said that the reason more had not been done was because they were in power for only five years.

I was heartened by Sheikh Hasina' promise to restart the stalled Peace Accord if returned to power. I wish her and the people of Bangladesh the opportunity to enjoy free and fair elections. And hope that the problem of the voter lists do not rob the already vulnerable Jumma Indigenous Peoples of the CHT of their opportunity to participate in free and fair elections. Sadly, this may not be possible in the Hill Tracts with the inclusion of non resident Bengalis on the voter lists. However, we can still hope that the elections are not marred by violence.