Greetings from JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF).

I wanted to bring to your attention the recent developments in Bangladesh concerning arbitrary arrests and police brutality against lawyers associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh during peaceful demonstrations and protests. These troubling events have led us to issue the following statement.

We kindly request your support and initiative in addressing this critical matter. The situation in Bangladesh demands immediate attention, and we believe that your involvement can help shed light on these injustices.

To view the full statement and details, please visit the following link: https://shahanur.blogspot.com/2023/11/statement-jmbf-expresses-deep-concern.html

If you require any further information or have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We appreciate your dedication to promoting justice and human rights on a global scale.

Warm regards,

Shahanur

The Statement

Statement: JMBF Expresses Deep Concern and Outrage over Arbitrary Arrests and Police Brutality against Pro BNP-Jamaat Lawyers in Bangladesh.

Paris, France: November 4, 2023 – JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) deeply expresses concern and outrage over the arbitrary arrests, fabrication of false cases, and the occurrence of police brutality against lawyers associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh during peaceful demonstrations and protests in Dhaka and Faridpur.

France-based human rights organization, JMBF, calls for the identification of the accused through an impartial investigation led by a High Court Judge and the immediate, unconditional release of the arrested lawyers, along with the dropping of all charges against them.

Based on reports published in various online and print newspapers in Bangladesh over the past two weeks, it has come to our attention that on the night of October 30, 2023, around at 8 pm, Advocate S.M. Mojammel Hossain Alal, a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and the Central Committee Joint Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was arrested from his residence in the Kathalbagan area of the capital. He was arrested on multiple charges related to the recent gatherings and demonstrations by the BNP and subsequently sent to jail custody. Before this, on the morning of October 29, in Dhaka, the Detective Branch (DB) police conducted a raid on his residence in Lalmatia, conducting searches in every room but failing to locate him. Later in the day, around noon, DB police entered his Banani residence too.

On October 29 (Sunday) at around 10:30 am in Faridpur, the police arrested five lawyers by baton-charging the procession of the Nationalist Lawyers Forum in the court premises in support of the morning-evening hartal called by BNP-Jamaat. The arrested lawyers are District Lawyers Forum President Advocate Ali Ashraf Nannu, Advocate Tarek Ayub Khan, Advocate Zahidul Islam Labloo, Advocate Khasrul Alam, and Advocate Nazrul Islam. In support of the hartal, the Nationalist Lawyers Forum took out a protest march in the court premises in the morning. When the procession of Nationalist Lawyers Forum in support of the hartal proceeded in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and in front of Laldighi Pond Market towards Independence Square, the police dispersed them with batons and arrested five lawyers from there and sent them to jail.

On the night of October 27 (Friday), the intelligence police arrested 9 lawyers and sent them to jail in connection with the gathering and demonstration organized by the BNP in front of their central office in the capital to demand the fall of the government. The arrested lawyers are Supreme Court Lawyers, Bangladesh Nationalist Lawyers Forum, Central Committee Co-Environmental Affairs Secretary and Nationalist Youth Party, Central Committee Co-Legal Affairs Secretary Advocate Noore Alam Siddiqui Sohag, Advocate Manjurul Alam Sujan, Advocate Jewel Munsi Suman, Advocate Nurullah, Advocate Saiful Islam, and three lawyers of Chittagong bar: Advocate Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Advocate Lokman Shah, and Advocate Didarul Alam Tipu were detained by Jatrabari police station.

On October 25 (Wednesday), Advocate Matiur Rahman Akand, a Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer and leader of Jamaat E Islami Bangladesh, was arrested by the police at his residence in Uttara. He was subsequently sent to jail by ambulance due to his medical condition as he is a cardiac patient. Matiur Rahman Akand holds the position of Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Lawyers Council, an organization comprised of pro-Jamaat E Islami lawyers.

On October 23, law and order forces picked up two lawyers at Narayanganj Court, Advocate Khorshed Alam Molla and Advocate Siddiqur Rahman, engaged in the legal profession in their chambers. They were kept in DB custody overnight and released the next day amid protests by other lawyers. There were no complaints or cases pending against them.

Advocate Shahanur Islam, the founder president of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) and a prominent human rights lawyer, strongly condemns and protests the arrests, fabrication of cases, the picking up of lawyers from their chambers, and police attacks on the protest rally related to the grand gathering and demonstration organized by BNP-Jamaat on October 28 in Dhaka.

Advocate Shahanur Islam believes that police brutality and arbitrary arrests of lawyers for peaceful meetings and demonstrations are clear violations of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and various international human rights instruments to which Bangladesh is a state party.

He strongly demands that the government refrain from impeding lawyers in the exercise of their fundamental rights, such as protesting, and take effective measures against all forms of police brutality. This includes preventing any obstruction of lawyers’ ability to freely and fairly participate in peaceful meetings and demonstrations while enjoying their fundamental rights.

Advocate Shahanur Islam said, “Article 37 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Article 20 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provide citizens with the right to peaceful assembly, a right the government is obligated to fully respect. However, for a long time, the opposition political parties have been forcibly obstructing meetings, gatherings, marches, and meetings in the country in violation of the country’s constitution and international human rights declarations and agreements, which is unacceptable.”

Advocate Shahanur Islam also emphasized that Article 35(5) of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Article 5 of the UDHR, Article 7 of the ICCPR, and the UNCAT explicitly prohibit all forms of torture. Despite the complete prohibition, the police have regularly engaged in the arbitrary arrest and torture of the general public, including opposition party political leaders, supporters, various professionals, and students. Consequently, the police have arbitrarily arrested lawyers affiliated with pro-BNP-Jamaat groups and have even resorted to attacking protest marches, thus violating and disregarding the Constitution and international human rights norms and principles, which should stop immediately.

Best Regards,

Advocate Shahanur Islam

Founder President

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF)

Cell/WhatsUp/Signal: +33(0)7 839523 15

Email: [email protected], blog: www.shahanur.blogspot.com