Bangladesh
19.03.03
Urgent Interventions
Bangladesh: attack on religious minorities results in killing, wounding and rapes
Case BGD 190303 / BGD 190303.VAW
Urgent Appeal / Violence Against Women
Extra-judicial killing / Rape / Targeting of religious minorities
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 a politically motivated attack against members of a minority religious group in Bangladesh. In this case, a Hindu man, Mr. Tapan Bhatacharji, was killed during an attack by unidentified masked assailants and members of his family have been raped and seriously wounded.
According to the information received, Tapan Bhatacharji, a Hindu man worked in a BISIC bee project, who voted against the current ruling party in the last election was attacked on March 8th, 2003. A group of more than 10 persons, thought to be connected with the ruling Muslim political party, reportedly came to his house in the village of Komorpur, in Jatrapur Union, Bagerhat District at three in the morning. The assailants reportedly hacked Tapan Bhatacharji to death, and his body has been sent to the local hospital morgue for an autopsy. Tapan’s younger brother Swapan Bhatacharji, a police constable from the Rupsha Police Station, was severely injured in the incident and has since been admitted to the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH). Furthermore, three Hindu women – including Tapan's wife, aged 34, his younger brother's wife, aged 28, and her mother - were also gang raped over a period of two hours. The wives of Tapan and Swapan were also admitted to the hospital. The condition of Tapan's wife was said to be critical as she had delivered a stillborn child some 10 days prior to the incident in question. The rapists reportedly left her bleeding profusely. It is reported that the attackers were targeting Tapan's elder brother Niranjan Bhattacharya. They reportedly left after having looted the house.
According to the information received, religious minorities have continually been targeted in Bangladesh with the direct and indirect support of the authorities. It is alleged that the government targets the religious minorities because they tend to vote for the secular candidates in elections. According to the information received, several hundreds of minority persons have been killed, thousands of minority women have been raped, and thousands have been forced to flee Bangladesh since October 2001, when the current government came to power.
OMCT fears that, despite claims that an investigation has been launched into the murder and robbery case, the perpetrators of these grave acts will not be brought to justice. Furthermore, it appears that the rapes are not being considered as part of the current investigation. OMCT recalls that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in article 4(c), states that States should “exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons.”
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by this report of a politically and religiously-motivated attack against Mr. Bhatacharji and his family, which resulted in his death, the wounding of his brother and the raping of three female members of his family, and calls on the authorities to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the victims of this attack. OMCT condemns the use of violence, notably as a means of stifling political opposition. OMCT calls on the authorities to guarantee that the investigation is thorough, prompt and impartial and that the perpetrators of these acts are brought to justice.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Bangladesh, calling on them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned members of Mr. Tapan Bhatacharji’s family, and, more generally, the members of religious minorities in Bangladesh;
ii. guarantee that adequate medical assistance is provided to all persons injured as a result of these events;
iii. guarantee a thorough and impartial investigation into these attacks, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. provide adequate reparation to the afore-mentioned persons;
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
· Mrs. Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister's Office, Old Parliament House, Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 2 8113244, 811015, 8113243, E-mail: pm@pmobd.org or psecretary@pmobd.org (to the Secretary)
· Prof. Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed, President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangabhaban, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 2 9566242
· Mr. Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 02 861 8557, E-mail: minoflaw@bdonline.com
· Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Banani Office, House no. 53, Road no. 13, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: + 88 2 8813063, e-mail: bnpbd@e-fsbd.net
· Mr. Alhaj Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Minister of Home Affairs, Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh, Fax: +88 02 8619667 or +88 02 955 2323
Please also write to the embassies of Bangladesh in your respective country.
Geneva, March 19th, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Urgent Appeal / Violence Against Women
Extra-judicial killing / Rape / Targeting of religious minorities
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 a politically motivated attack against members of a minority religious group in Bangladesh. In this case, a Hindu man, Mr. Tapan Bhatacharji, was killed during an attack by unidentified masked assailants and members of his family have been raped and seriously wounded.
According to the information received, Tapan Bhatacharji, a Hindu man worked in a BISIC bee project, who voted against the current ruling party in the last election was attacked on March 8th, 2003. A group of more than 10 persons, thought to be connected with the ruling Muslim political party, reportedly came to his house in the village of Komorpur, in Jatrapur Union, Bagerhat District at three in the morning. The assailants reportedly hacked Tapan Bhatacharji to death, and his body has been sent to the local hospital morgue for an autopsy. Tapan’s younger brother Swapan Bhatacharji, a police constable from the Rupsha Police Station, was severely injured in the incident and has since been admitted to the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH). Furthermore, three Hindu women – including Tapan's wife, aged 34, his younger brother's wife, aged 28, and her mother - were also gang raped over a period of two hours. The wives of Tapan and Swapan were also admitted to the hospital. The condition of Tapan's wife was said to be critical as she had delivered a stillborn child some 10 days prior to the incident in question. The rapists reportedly left her bleeding profusely. It is reported that the attackers were targeting Tapan's elder brother Niranjan Bhattacharya. They reportedly left after having looted the house.
According to the information received, religious minorities have continually been targeted in Bangladesh with the direct and indirect support of the authorities. It is alleged that the government targets the religious minorities because they tend to vote for the secular candidates in elections. According to the information received, several hundreds of minority persons have been killed, thousands of minority women have been raped, and thousands have been forced to flee Bangladesh since October 2001, when the current government came to power.
OMCT fears that, despite claims that an investigation has been launched into the murder and robbery case, the perpetrators of these grave acts will not be brought to justice. Furthermore, it appears that the rapes are not being considered as part of the current investigation. OMCT recalls that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in article 4(c), states that States should “exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons.”
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by this report of a politically and religiously-motivated attack against Mr. Bhatacharji and his family, which resulted in his death, the wounding of his brother and the raping of three female members of his family, and calls on the authorities to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the victims of this attack. OMCT condemns the use of violence, notably as a means of stifling political opposition. OMCT calls on the authorities to guarantee that the investigation is thorough, prompt and impartial and that the perpetrators of these acts are brought to justice.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Bangladesh, calling on them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned members of Mr. Tapan Bhatacharji’s family, and, more generally, the members of religious minorities in Bangladesh;
ii. guarantee that adequate medical assistance is provided to all persons injured as a result of these events;
iii. guarantee a thorough and impartial investigation into these attacks, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. provide adequate reparation to the afore-mentioned persons;
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
· Mrs. Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister's Office, Old Parliament House, Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 2 8113244, 811015, 8113243, E-mail: pm@pmobd.org or psecretary@pmobd.org (to the Secretary)
· Prof. Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed, President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangabhaban, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 2 9566242
· Mr. Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: +88 02 861 8557, E-mail: minoflaw@bdonline.com
· Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Banani Office, House no. 53, Road no. 13, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fax: + 88 2 8813063, e-mail: bnpbd@e-fsbd.net
· Mr. Alhaj Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Minister of Home Affairs, Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh, Fax: +88 02 8619667 or +88 02 955 2323
Please also write to the embassies of Bangladesh in your respective country.
Geneva, March 19th, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.