Alleged torture and subsequent death

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (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 ODHIKAR, a member the SOS-Torture network, about the alleged torture and subsequent death of Farid (identified as such), 30 years old, resident of Uttar Shashiganj village, while in Naval custody on 21 March 2007.

According to the information received, Farid was arrested on 20 March 2007 around midnight at his cousin’s house where he was staying, by a team of the local Naval contingent, allegedly to seize firearms, and was then brought to the Naval contingent based in Tazmuddin Upazilla, Bhola District. At around 2pm on 21 March 2007, four Naval personnel, reportedly Lieutenant Reza, Corporal Monir Hossain, Corporal Azad and Corporal Jamal (complete names at the time of issuing the urgent appeal not available), took Farid to a ditch in front of the house of a certain Mr. Cherag Ali Chowkidar in Uttar Shashiganj. The Naval personnel reportedly bailed out the small quantity of water that the ditch contained and searched for arms. However, they did not find any.

The senior officer reportedly started beating Farid with a stick after having verbally abused him and threatened to throw him into a canal if Farid would not tell him where the arms were hidden. According to the information, the senior officer kept striking Farid’s arms and back with a stick and also pricked both side of his chest with a pointed stick. It is further reported that when Farid asked for water, he was only given a sip and the water was then thrown over his mouth. The Naval personnel then put him in a rickshaw while dragging him by his hair. According to a witness, Farid was already dead when he was charged into the rickshaw.

According to ODHIKAR’s fact-finding mission, Farid was brought to the Tazumuddin Upazilla Health Complex by the Naval personnel at around 3 pm on 21 March 2007 where he was declared dead. Farid’s body reportedly carried wounds above both ankles and had injuries on both his feet and elbows. It is reported that an injury he had on his left leg was already bandaged.

The Magistrate and the Upazilla Nirbahi Officer (head of sub-district administration) of Tazumuddin Upazilla, Shukur Ali, who conducted the inquest into Farid’ case, reportedly said to ODHIKAR’s fact-finding team, that the local Naval personnel arrested Farid the day before he died. The Naval personnel reportedly went to the place where Farid had allegedly confessed to have hidden the arms during the interrogation. According to the Naval personnel, Farid fell ill on their way back from the operation and died after being admitted at the hospital. An Unidentified Death (UD) case was reportedly filed regarding the death of Farid under the case number 2/07 dated 21/3/07.

According to Farid’s elder brother, his arrest and death might be linked to village leaders who have close links to some officials of the local Naval contingent and who considered Farid as their enemy for his stand against them.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the alleged torture and subsequent death of Farid while in Naval custody, particularly because this is the second reported death in Naval custody in Bhola District (see OMCT BGD 020307) within two months. OMCT calls upon the authorities to launch a thorough and impartial investigation into these allegations, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law for impunity should not prevail. Finally, OMCT urges the authorities to guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international humanitarian law and human rights standards.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Bangladesh urging them to:

1. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Farid’s family;
2. Order a thorough and impartial investigation into these events, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the civil penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
3. Guarantee that adequate compensation is awarded to Farid’s family;
4. Ensure the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses

• Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser, Head of the Interim Government, Fax : +880 2 8113243, Email: Info@pmo.gov.bd
• Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh Secretariat, Building 4, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Email: mediacell@homemin-bd.org
• Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Email: info@minlaw.gov.bd
• Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nations in Geneva, 65 rue de Lausanne, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 738 46 16, E-mail: mission.bangladesh@ties.itu.int
• Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Brussels, 29-31 rue J. Jordaens, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 646 59 98; Email: bdootbrussels@freegates.be

Please also write to the embassies of Bangladesh in your respective country.

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Geneva, 16 April 2007

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.