Bangladesh Bleeding

Mass-killing in February 2013

According to a report of Daily Amar Desh, a prominent Bengali national daily, at least 77 people were killed in police firing in February 2013 1. Independent sources put the death toll higher than that. According to some reports more than 70 people have been died in police firing in a single day of 28 February. 2 According to opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, the party whose activists are the major victims of the government offensive, at least 147 people were killed in police firing from 28 February to 5 March. 3 Through video footage and newspaper report it was revealed that police used firearms disproportionately and indiscriminately. It was also revealed that law enforcing agencies were not following United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which state that security forces shall apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms, and that whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials shall: (a) Exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved; (b) Minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life. Moreover it is a matter of great concern that when some of the government high-ups statements are analyzed it gives very strong reason to believe that police action was in line with administrative and governmental repressive policy. On 28 January 2013, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Benazir Ahmed asked police personnel to open fire targeting Shibir (student wing of one of the Islamist opposition parties, Jamaat) activists as soon as they (Shibir) are visible.4

77 citizens were killed on the street in police

firing in February (2013), the month of language movement. Police indulged in genocide opening fire on the political programme. Daily Amar Desh, March 1, 2013

Open fire targeting Shibir activists as soon as

they are visible. Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Benazir Ahmed on January 28, 2013

Daily Amar Desh, March 1, 2013: http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2013/03/01/190110#.USqLF2u-_I 2 Daily Sangram, March 1, 2013: http://www.dailysangram.com/news_details.php?news_id=110502; http://bdinn.com/news/country-outraged-by-post-verdict-violence/ 3 http://www.jamaat-e-islami.org/en/newsdetails.php?nid=NzEx 4 Daily Sun, January 28, 2013: http://www.daily-sun.com/details_yes_28-01-2013_Benazir-for-shooting-Shibiractivists_392_1_0_3_4.html

After the mass-killing in February and March Home minister defended the action of police. On 29 March 2013, he said: If general people were killed in front of police or law enforcers, should the police suck its finger? Police has been given duty to stop this. 5 Home ministers statement is not only making it clear that those who are behind the killing would get impunity but also revealing that police might have done all these as per government directives.

Should the police suck its finger?

Home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir in response to the use of disproportionate force by police

The series of deadly clash started on 5th February 2013, when International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic tribunal in Bangladesh to try the international crimes committed during the liberation war in 1971, handed down judgment on the detained Assistant Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaate-Islami, the largest Islamist political party of Bangladesh, Abdul Quader Molla with life term imprisonment. Following the verdict, from 5th February, 2013, a group of the young protesters launched a sit-in protest in Shahbag intersection of the capital demanding death penalty of Abdul Quader Molla and all other war crimes accused. Bloggers and Online Activists, a forum of some pro-liberation and secular youths initiated the demonstration. Later Bangladesh Chattra League, student wing of the ruling Awami League party joined with them and government MPs as well as ministers expressed solidarity with them. Apparently due to their pressure, government even compelled to bring some amendments to the International Crimes Tribunal Act, 1973 creating a provision for the government side to file appeal for stricter punishment against any verdict of the tribunal. In the meantime, through some newspaper reports it appeared to general public that some of the bloggers who were involved in the Shahbag movement used to write blogs which contain extremely derogatory comments and indecent remark against Islam and its holy Prophet. Such a news outraged massive protest across the country. Consequently, religious people nationwide declared some peaceful programs protesting those anti-Islamic bloggers. While observing those programs, police fired indiscriminately upon the protesters that killed at least 18 people from 16 February to 27 February around the country including 5 in Manikganj.

Daily Prothom Alo, March 29, 2013: http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2013-03-29/news/340590

Manikganj Massacre: A countrywide general strike Known as Hartal, was called by Islamic parties. During the Hartal five people were killed and at least 50 others injured, many of whom were hit by bullets, when police opened fire in Singair upazila in Manikganj.
6

According the report of Daily Amar Desh, the clash erupted when local ruling party leader Abdul Majed got involved into altercation with pro-hartal activists over creating obstacle across a road. Later police came into the scene and at one point police opened fire. BNP set up a team to probe the killing in Manikgan. According to the convener of the five-member probe body Moudud Ahmed : From newspaper reports on the police and Awami League criminals opening fire on the people at Manikganjs Singair, we fear a brutal massacre had taken place there, 7 said Ahmed From the television footage and pictures appeared in the news media it becomes apparent that police fired disproportionately and indiscriminately on unarmed protesters. Some of the footages and pictures are available in different blogs.8 Mass Killing after 28 February On 28th February, the controversial International Crimes Tribunal sentenced the renowned preacher and the Nayeb-e-Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Mawlana Delwar Hossain Sayeedi to death. The tribunal awarded him with death penalty in two charges. Jamaat-e-Islami party rejected the verdict as a whole terming it as a government sponsored conspiracy to wipe out the opposition. Along with the party reaction, at least some general people who follow Sayeedi, reacted against that move. Thousands of angry protesters took to the streets and the police fired huge rounds of bullets to foil the 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 and it was one of the deadliest day in Bangladeshs history since the independence war of 1971.

http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2013/02/25/189478#.UePs7I3-E9F

7 8

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/02/26/bnp-team-to-visit-manikganj-on-feb-28

http://savebangladesh24february.blogspot.com/2013/02/5-people-brutally-killed-in-manikganj.html

In consecutive four days of all out protests occurred 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 was 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 9. Around ten thousand people were wounded and many of them died from a critical condition, having barred by police from getting treatment. Through video footage and newspaper report it was revealed that police used firearms disproportionately and indiscriminately. Although Human Rights Watch reported in their statement issued on March 1, 2013, some instances of violence allegedly by the protesters they categorically maintained that the police and other security forces have used disproportionate force in some cases, leading to preventable loss of life and further inflaming the situation. 10 On May 3, 2013 HRW issued another even stronger statement: Bangladesh: End Unlawful Violence Against Protesters. HRW stated there: Eyewitness accounts obtained by Human Rights Watch demonstrate that police, the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB), and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have shot live ammunition and rubber bullets into unarmed crowds, conducted sweeping arrests, and used other forms of excessive force during and after protests that began in February and continue. The use of lethal force has taken place in multiple locations in the capital, Dhaka, as well as the northern and southern districts of the country. 11 Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch observed: Security forces confronted with large groups of demonstrators have opened fire on crowds, often without warning, killing unarmed protesters and bystanders. 12 In the 5 days of crackdown and indiscriminate fire of police, according some report 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. 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. A Skype
9

10 11

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XoX1AVbMQ

https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trials https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/03/bangladesh-end-unlawful-violence-against-protesters 12 Ibid

conversation scandal revealed in the British magazine The Economist suggests13 a collusion among the judges, the prosecution and the law minister so as to deliver conviction judgments in exchange of promotion for the judges.

District Shatkhira Bogra Rangpur Gaibandha Thakurgaon Joypurhat Noakhali Rajshahi Shirajganj Coxs Bazar Chapai Nawabganj Chittagong Brahmanbaria Laxmipur Narayanganj Total

Number of deceased Political activist 19 14 9 8 7 7 7 6 4 3 4 7 5 4 3 107 9 9 8 4 4 3 2 2 3 1 2 3 0 2 1 53

General people 10 5 1 4 3 4 5 4 1 2 2 4 5 2 2 54

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 demands 14 that all the leaders of Jamaat e Islami facing the trial have to be hanged and they literally shouted no less. Their 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. 15 One thing that is common among all these eclectic collection of bloggers is that, they all hate Islam which is clear from their manifested demands and their proven track record of blogging. The sit-in continues being sponsored by the government
13

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

14 15

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-938313 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA13/003/2013/en

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. 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.16 Another important thing is to note that while government is protecting Shahbag protesters, it is opening fire indiscriminately on other protesters who are protesting with other demands.

16

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/01/bangladesh-end-violence-over-war-crimes-trials