UNION PARISHAD ELECTION 2016: A REVIEW

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION:

Marred by deaths in violence, nomination business, uncontested wins, electoral irregularities and incidents of clashes between supporters of rival candidates, storming of polling stations and ballot stuffing, fake voting, and attacks on minority groups, the Union Parishad (UP) elections were held in the country for the first time along partisan lines. The elections were held in six different phases starting on 22nd March and ending on 4th June, 2016 as per the circular announced on 11th February, 2016 by the Election Commission.

The UP elections were a farce. It was the most violent election in the history of Bangladesh. Terror and panic was spread instead of a festive mood across the country. The ruling Awami League snatched the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) by using muscle power and spreading fear among the people. Except for few places, the polls were a complete farce and forgery all over the country. Voters could not cast their votes according to their will, especially for the post of chairman.

A BRIEF ON THE SIX PHASES OF UP POLLS:

The Union Parishad elections were held in 6 phases in 4 thousand 103 UPs across the country. Results came out for 4 thousand 2 UPs, and for the rest 101 UPs, polls will be held later. Even though the results of this farcical election is completely irrelevant, the Election Commission announced that among chairman seats, the ruling party, the Awami League, won 2 thousand 661, Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 367, other parties (Jatyo Party, Jatyo Shomajtantrik Dol JSD, Jatyo Party-JP, Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Zaker Party and Jamiate Ulama e Islam Bangladesh) 60, and Independent candidates in 898, most of whom are rebel candidates of the Awami League. (See attached Table 1 for reference)

In this election, 31.29% of votes were secured by the Independent candidates. It is the highest for Independent candidates in the history of any polls held in Bangladesh. According to the Election Commission, most of the elected 898 Independent candidates were rebel candidates of the Awami League and a few from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. As Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was not allowed to take part in the polls, some of their candidates contested as Independent candidates. The Independent candidates were second to the ruling party in the election standings. One of the largest party the BNP managed to secure only 18.98% votes, whereas the Awami League secured 45.46%, and the rest of the parties, namely Jatyo Party, Jatyo Shomajtantrik Dol JSD, Jatyo Paty JP, Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Zaker Party and Jamiat E Ulamai Islam Bangladesh) got 2.3% votes. These statistics provided by the EC are very hard to believe. (See attached Table 2 for reference)

Only 29 female Chairman candidates were elected in this election. Among them, 24 are from the Awami League, 6 of whom were uncontested. Independent candidates won 4, and Jatyo Party 1.

Immediately after the announcement of the Union Parishad elections in February 2016 violence started across the country. 108 people died till the polls day of the 6th phase, leaving more than 6000 people injured. As of June 14, 2016, 116 people were killed and 8000 injured. It is to be noted that the violence is still continuing. (See attached Table 3 for reference)

This violent election broke the record of uncontested victory for the post of Chairman in the history of UP elections. Election Commission sources said that 217 Awami League candidates won uncontested for the post of Chairman.

The BNP Chairman candidates were absent in 554 UPs. Among these, in 102 UPs the BNP candidates’ lives were threatened, so they had to step back. In 188 UPs, they could not submit their nomination papers due to obstruction by the Awami League. In 59 UPs, they were forced to withdraw their nomination. In many places, their nomination papers were declared “Rejected” by the Election Office. This shows the kind of adversity and helplessness faced by the BNP candidates.

UNPRECEDENTED VOTE FRAUD, BALLOT BOX SNATCHING AND VIOLENCE:

Ineffective Election Commission: In these UP polls the role of the Election Commission has been seriously questioned. They remained silent spectators to the blatant irregularities and violence perpetrated by the Awami League. The Election Commission did not take any action against any irregularity and violence except for very few even after having thousands of specific complaints. Among 36 thousand voting centers in the country, the Commission withheld voting in only 346 centers, whereas most of the centers were taken over by the Awami League. The Election Commission failed to stop violence, false voting, vote rigging all over the country even though it had the power and jurisdiction to stop such events. The legal wing of the Election Commission advised the Commission to take action against the serious wrongdoings. But the Election Commission took into cognizance only a few cases and advised other complainants to seek redress in regular courts.

The Election Commission wrote letters during three phases of polls to the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that there is no environment for fair election. But there was no response from the Ministry. Before every election, the Ministry of Home Affairs usually asks the legal firearms owners to deposit their arms at the local police station, but it did not happen this time. No operation was conducted by the Police to recover illegal weapons even though it was mentioned in the Circular of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This helpless state of the Election Commission provided a natural ground for violence to be committed by the Awami League goons in all the phases of the election.

The Election Commission virtually took no steps to prevent, stop, or curb the violence. Instead, the Chief Election Commissioner defended this farcical and forged election by means of an alibi. While talking to the media after holding a meeting with the local administration, personnel, and high ups of the law enforcing bodies, the CEC said, “Large scale electoral violence occurred in West Bengal, Bihar and other places of India. Electoral violence appears to be the culture of the subcontinent. A traffic Police constable may be assigned the duty to show the location of polling station in foreign countries, but armed Police battalion is not deployed. It seems we need to bring in tanks to hold elections ………. Dirty incidents of polling booth capture have come down. Verily, disordered and illegal activities have occurred in quite a few polling booths. These three or four isolated incidents are shown repeatedly, which creates a notion in the minds of everybody that faulty elections are held everywhere.”

THE ELECTION OF VIOLENCE AND RIGGING:

Since the beginning of the recent UP elections, display of muscle and illegal firearms became blaring when ruling party candidates started swooping on BNP candidates in various ways. BNP candidates were being barred from submitting nomination papers. The way Awami cadre in collaboration with administration, Election Commission and government agencies snatched people’s franchise right, it is nothing but a mockery of human rights and brazen hallmark of fascism in utter violation of international norms and ethics. Even the alliance partners of the government expressed their resentment about this election.

ROLE OF MEDIA:

Many journalists were threatened by Awami activists and law enforcing agencies while collecting information of irregularities prior to Election Day. While performing the election day duty, many journalists were obstructed by Awami goons and law enforcing agencies; in some cases they were beaten and driven out of the polling centers. In some cases their equipment were broken, and memory cards containing pictures of rigging and violence were taken out.

OPINION OF ELECTION OBSERVERS AND EXPERTS:

Election observers, experts and civil society organizations like SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), Broti, Dr. Tofayel Ahmed (Local Government Expert), Dr. Moinul Islam (Teacher and Economist) and others expressed their dissatisfaction and deep concern at the violence and unprecedented rigging and malpractices that took place in this year’s UP elections. They also seriously criticized the Election Commission for its inaction and utter failure in the fair and impartial conduct of the election. The diplomats present in Dhaka also expressed their deep concern about the violence and killings in the UP election. (Some of their quotes may be seen at the end of this summary)

NEW FEATURES/ STRATEGIES OF IRREGULARITY AND FORGERY:

·      Nomination Business: Knowing that victory is secured with Awami League’s “Boat” symbol, the Awami League leaders became desperate to get nomination by hook or by crook, resulting in a huge nomination trade and violence within the party. This kind of widespread nomination trade was unknown before.

·      In many cases, the Awami League candidates compelled the proposers and seconders of the rebel Awami League candidates and BNP candidates to deny and disown their proposals and secondments resulting in invalidation of their chosen candidatures. This never happened before in the election history of the country.

·      Awami League miscreants tortured, in some cases held hostage, the wife and children and other family members of their opponent candidates in their absence when they had to leave the area for fear of arrest or violence.

·      Ballot boxes were stuffed with ballots in the night prior to the Election Day which the Chief Election Commissioner indirectly admitted in statements he made to the press.

·      Students in school uniforms under the patronization of AL candidates were found to wait in long queues and were made to cast false votes.

·      In many cases, Awami goons in guise of Ansar and Police were found to play the role of law enforcing agencies in and around polling centers.

·      In many cases, votes were cast in the name of deceased voters.

·      In some polling centers, the rate of cast votes was more than 100%.

·      Awami League goons did not allow the opposition candidates’ polling agents to enter the polling centers; or drove them out of the centers by force after assaulting and manhandling them. It was very hard for BNP and other party candidates to find polling agents as the polling agents’ lives were threatened before the Election Day.

·      AL candidates compelled the voters to vote for the chairman candidate in the open and put the ballot paper in the ballot box in front of everybody. In many cases, they did not hand over the ballot paper to the voters instead they themselves marked the ballot paper and stuffed it in the ballot box. This kind of open rigging never happened ever before.

·      Presiding Officers along with the members of law enforcement agencies were found stuffing ballot boxes while ruling party candidates used firearms to drive away representatives belonging to the opposition party. This kind of rampant and desperate malpractice never happened before.

·      Prospective candidates were made to quit the election scenario by implicating them in criminal cases or threatening to implicate them or to kill them by the Awami League candidates.

·      In many cases, the election results were reversed by putting the presiding officers in fear of death.

·      Unprecedented inaction on the part of the Election Commission.

·      In 4 UPs of Rangamati Hill Tracts, no Awami League or BNP candidates could file their nomination papers being threatened with death. And in 3 UPs in the Hill Tracts, no one was found to file nomination papers out of fear. Many candidates flew to Chittagong and Rangamati Headquarters for refuge. As a result, the election process could not at all be initiated in the Hill Tracts.

ISSUES UNVEILED AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:

·      The sudden decision of holding UP elections under the political party system had raised many questions. Many experts opined that the new system would trigger widespread violence at grassroots level. Their concern has finally come true.

Though party-based local government election is practiced in many democratic countries, it is time to consider whether the system is feasible and applicable in Bangladesh.

·      Many are of the opinion that party-based UP election is no doubt a politically motivated decision taken by the Awami League to come out from its image crisis tainted by the non-participatory and disputed parliamentary election of January 5, 2014 which went in utter violation of international standard and requirement throwing the government in a legitimacy crisis. Although 80% - 90% ruling party chairman candidates have been declared winners in last UP election, the government could hardly avail of this as it was marred by violence, and endless flaws. The government failed to exploit the landslide victory to overcome its legitimacy crisis. It rather came as a boomerang and worsened the situation for the ruling party.

·      Another target of the ruling party was further cementation of its footing at the grassroots level. But internal clash, feud and killings creating permanent and long lasting divisions in the ruling party left the objective unachieved.

·      Some candidates of the 14-party alliance were also barred from participating in the electoral process; those who could somehow submit nomination papers were either forced to quit or failed to launch effective electoral campaigns in the face of obstruction and violence from the Awami cadres, resulting in resentment among small stakeholders of the 14 party alliance.

·      The decision to hold Chairman elections on the basis of party symbols and member elections without party symbols created a conflicting situation in the polling system.

·      Number of deaths and killings this time created a record in the history of election in Bangladesh, leaving 116 killed and around 8000 injured till 14th June 2016.

·      This election has been marked with both visible and invisible violence. Invisible violence included threatening of opposition candidates and barring them from filing nominations and barring their supporters from voting by putting them in fear. While visible violence includes assault, firing, destruction of campaign materials, stuffing ballot boxes, etc.

·      This election also created history in the record of 217 Awami League UP Chairman declared elected uncontested. No other candidate from any other party got the luck of being declared elected uncontested.

·      Election violence occurred mostly between the Awami League candidates and their rebels. Many BNP leaders and workers could not stay home due to a hostile political situation and state of fear. As a result, a large party like the BNP could not participate and involve itself in the election process independently and at ease. Needless to say this is very harmful for a democratic process.

·      In this election, the Awami League specially targeted BNP strongholds, like Feni, Lakshmipur, Bogra, Noakhali, Comilla, Chitittagong and Rajshahi. This suggests that the government has chosen to hold UP election under party symbol to materialize its far-reaching blueprint.

·      Usually, as in India, where election is held in phases, final result is declared after the completion of all the phases so that the result of one phase cannot affect or influence that of the others. But the Election Commission in Bangladesh, by publishing results after each phase of UP election paved the way for inevitable partisan practice in the election process.

·      This election has undoubtedly proved that the Election Commission is inefficient, inactive, spineless, partisan and completely incapable of delivering a free and fair election. This commission is not willing to execute and implement its own authority. They are used to look for what the government wishes and act accordingly. This election has conveyed a clear message that no free, fair and transparent election is possible under the present partisan and sycophantic Election Commission.

·      To save democracy, the demand for establishment of a free, fair, neutral and transparent Election Commission is now the top-most priority. It is high time to press the demand home.

SOME COMMENTS OF THE ELECTION OBSERVERS AND EXPERTS:

“The future is bleak, if the trend of open violence, booth capture and false voting in this party symbol based election continues. The Election Commission did not get any help from the Government Departments as per the Constitution. The Commission and the Government are describing the incidents of 145 dead as one or two isolated incidents. We want to say, uninterrupted isolated incidents have occurred.”

-M. Hafizuddin Khan, Chairman of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)

“The present Election Commission wants to shirk responsibility on others after failing to hold a free and fair election. No excuse can be accepted. They have failed to hold free and fair elections despite holding constitutional positions. This election has never been acceptable. Because there had been huge fraud, violence, and nomination trade in the election. This election could not ensure democratic transition. The Election Commission is a constitutional body, therefore the responsibility for all these had to be borne by the Election Commission.”

-Dr. Badiul Alam Mojumder, General Secretary of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)

“This election process was questionable from the very beginning. The Commission did not take any action with neutrality and courage standing on the legal ground … If this Union Parishad election gets recognition as a mode, then surely our electoral system will crumble. Our democratic system begins to crumble, which will not bring good to anybody. Therefore a national dialogue should be held to review different aspects of the election without any delay in the national interest”.

-Dilip Kumar Sarker, Central Coordinator of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)

“There shall never be free and fair election in this country if the government does not want it. That is why the government has to take measures. The situation that prevails now shows that it is rather said less if this election is called questionable. This bullet-pierced election. Nobody is thinking about the UP Election. Shall there be any election in this country is a big question”.

-Dr, Tofayel Ahmed, Local Government Expert

“We have no election. Where have we taken the election? God save us! It will take time to understand the depth of damage caused by this Union Parishad election. Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangabondhu, has to appear in the dock of history. How in her own hand she has destroyed the electoral system!”

-Dr. Moinul Islam, Teacher & Economist

‘Every incident of violence is a matter of concern, irrespective of place and occurrence. It’s everybody’s responsibility to ensure that voters get unhindered opportunity to cast their vote. This election has brought an ‘apocalypse’ for the democratic process in Bangladesh.”

-Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, US Ambassador in Bangladesh

TABLE

A MATRIX ON SOME STATISTICS OF RECENTLY HELD UP ELECTION HAS BEEN UNDERLINED:

Table 1

PHASE-WISE RESULT OF UP ELECTION 2016
	Date of Election	Electionn Held	Re- Election	Awami League		BNP		Other Party	Indepe ndent
				Total Elected	Elected Uncontested	Elected	No candidate
1st Phase	March 22	725	1	540	54	47	119	9	103
2nd Phase	March 31	644	10	450	34	61	79	8	115
3rd Phase	April 23	615	5	395	29	60	81	16	163
4th Phase	May 07	703	20	439	34	70	106	13	161
5th Phase	May 28	717	38	431	39	67	100	11	170
6th Phase	June 04	699	27	406	27	62	69	3	186
Total		4103	101	2661	217	367	554	60	898

Table: 2

PERCENTAGE OF VOTE IN UP ELECTION 2016
Party	Percentage of vote
Awami League	45.46%
Independent candidate	31.29%
BNP	18.98%
Jatiya party	2.24%
Others (Jatiya Samajtantrik Dol JSD, Bangladesh Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Jatiya Party JP)	2.3%

                       

Table: 3

PICTURE OF VIOLENCE SINCE DECLARATION OF UP SCHEDULE ON FEBRUARY 11 TILL MAY 8
		Killed till before election	Killed on the day of election	Injured
1st Step	March 22	10	11	More than 2000
2nd Step	March 31	3	8	More than 1100
3rd Step	April 23	11	1	More than 900
4th Step	May 07	13	6	More than 1000
5th Step	May 28	14	16	More than 600
6th Step	June 04	11	4	More than 350
Total Killed 108, Injured More than 6000 till 4th June, 2016

* 116 killed and around 8000 injured till 14th June, 2016.

Dhaka is crazy and beautiful

Brad Wong / Scroll.In 

Around this time last year, I had brunch at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan locality. Last weekend, it was the site of a terrible terrorist attack in which at least 22 people – four Bangladeshis and 18 foreigners – lost their lives.

I developed a soft spot for Dhaka and its people after visiting it four times in less than a year, working with the NGO BRAC, academics and the government on a research project to identify effective development policies for the country. On each occasion, I uncovered more and more of the intense and strange beauty of this city of 15 million people. It is no secret that Dhaka is a hard place to live in, and one could easily dismiss it as a charmless, chaotic megacity. My experience is that the greatness of Dhaka lies hidden in the small and everyday interactions with its people.

Beauty in the ordinary

I remember, on my first afternoon, standing on a street corner at dusk as the call to prayer went out. Even though I couldn’t understand a word, I was touched so profoundly by the depth of feeling in the sound that I couldn’t tell if the imam was praying or singing to my soul.

On another occasion, I hopped on a boat that ferries passengers between the edge of Banani lake, near the upmarket area of Gulshan, and a large watery slum only a 100 metres away. I ended up being the target of a collective and harmless joke as the boat full of commuters, realising I couldn’t speak Bengali, decided to negotiate the fare for me. They bid the price of my ride to 250 times the normal amount while I looked on, confused and concerned. The boatman, in his good nature did not accept, but everyone, including me, had a great laugh.

I happened to be in Dhaka once during the festival of Holi, and found myself in the city’s Hindu quarter. That day I was shown around by two university students who volunteer as walking tour guides – and as we laughed, danced and played the Hindu festival of colours – they made sure I was not lost in the throng and having a good time. It is these interactions – generous, wholehearted and open – that build the fabric of all communities. Dhaka is crazy, flawed and beautiful because of them.

Dark places

The Gulshan terrorist attack has shaken the country to its core, and has forced a deep and honest reflection. How should we respond in the face of such darkness? Indeed, the whole world has been asking and responding to this very question for years.

Terrorism is the short-term, aggressive and overt act that shocks us deeply. Our response – fear – is the long-term, insidious, and debilitating degradation that we fail to recognise. Terrorism is such a potent force, not because it kills, but because it is a fear multiplier.

Fear ends up eating away at the heart of society. It blinds us to our innate commonality. Fear thrives on separation, and it rejects union. It leads us into dark places, makes us build walls and tricks us into thinking the world is a dangerous place when, really, it is magical and magnificent.

This is not some feel-good ideal – it is a clear conclusion of the statistics. Terrorism accounts for about 0.06% of deaths globally every year. You are at least 600 times more likely to die from things you do to yourself than to die from terrorism.

As individuals, I don’t think we can really do anything to prevent terrorism. By its nature it is random, it is politically motivated and you’re very unlikely to encounter a terrorist anyway – it is somewhat beyond the realm of individual action. But the one thing we can do is not indulge in fear. That is completely within our control. When we cease succumbing to fear and reject those who fan its flames, that is the greatest act of defiance we can take against terrorism.

- Brad Wong is an Australian development economist.

Charge or Release Holey Attack Hostages: HRW

(New York) – Bangladeshi authorities should guarantee all due process rights of two detainees who had been held hostage by armed gunmen during the July 1 siege on the Holey Artisan Bakery Café in Dhaka, Human Rights Watch said today. The two men, Hasanat Karim and Tahmid Khan, were initially held for questioning by authorities but have neither been charged nor released.

Armed gunmen attacked the café on the night of July 1, killing more than 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the café on the morning of July 2, killing several of the gunmen, and securing the safety of the remaining 13 hostages. The hostages were taken to the Detective Branch headquarters, where they were questioned by the authorities.

All hostages, except for Karim, 47, and Khan, 22, were released on July 3. Their families have had little or no official information about their safety and whereabouts since. They have been allowed to send medicine and clothes, but are unsure if those were delivered to the detainees. The detainees have not been produced promptly before a judge, a right enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Bangladesh is a party.

“The attack on the café was a horrific event, and the authorities should conduct thorough investigations by questioning those held hostage – but they must do so in a rights-respecting manner,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Karim and Khan have not had access to a lawyer, and the police continue to deny holding them although they are clearly still being held by the Detective Branch. The authorities need to either charge or release them immediately.”

Human Rights Watch noted that Bangladeshi security forces have an extensive and well-documented history of custodial abuse, including torture. Given this history, there is a real risk of harm during detention and interrogation. Human Rights Watch has documented torture and custodial abuse of those detained by Bangladeshi security forces, including of one of its own consultants, in 2008. A 2012 Human Rights Watch report documented the mass arrests, torture, and custodial deaths of those suspected of involvement in a 2009 mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles. Subsequent investigations by Human Rights Watch before and after the violent elections in January 2014 documented arbitrary and illegal arrests, leading in some cases to disappearances and deaths. Most recently, Human Rights Watch expressed concern at the nearly 15,000 mass arbitrary arrests by the government in a much-delayed reaction to a spate of killings of bloggers, atheists, foreigners, and gay rights activists.

Karim is a UK national and Khan is a resident of Canada. Human Rights Watch called upon both the UK and Canadian authorities to press for consular access to ensure the safety and well-being of the detainees.

“The authorities holding Karim and Khan are bound by Bangladeshi law and international law to ensure that both men are accorded their full due process rights, including the right to a lawyer and the right to be produced before a magistrate, both of which are key in ensuring their physical well-being and freedom from custodial abuse,” said Adams. “The length of time the two men have been held incommunicado is a direct violation of their basic rights.”

Human Rights Watch called on the Bangladeshi authorities to admit to the detentions of the two men, to make clear their whereabouts, and to protect their rights.

Analyst: Country Not Positioned to Fight Domestic Terrorism

Steve Miller / VoA / July 08, 2016


A specialist in South Asian political and military affairs says Bangladesh is in a poor position to manage escalating terrorist attacks in the country.

Speaking on VOA’s Asia Weekly podcast, Christine Fair, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, attributes the problem to the high degree of politicization within the Bangladeshi police and judiciary.

What Bangladesh "fundamentally suffers from is that the two parties, the Awami League and the BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party], have two different narratives of what the nation is," Fair said, describing the country as "evenly divided."

"The BNP, more right of center, acknowledges the place of Islam in politics, and the Awami League undermines that," she said.

The government could turn to outside help in combating and investigating attacks, she said, but when assistance has been provided from countries like the United States, the results have been mixed. Atop this, there's the problem of poor crime scene mismanagement, she said; even if help is provided in a given case, the evidence authorities may be seeking may no longer be there.

Fair spoke after Thursday's attack on a police post in Kishoreganj, about 140 kilometers from Dhaka, which occurred as hundreds of thousands were gathering at a festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. One police officer was killed in a bomb blast and another was stabbed. Reports from the scene also indicated a woman was killed and more than a dozen people were wounded.

Authorities said two of the attackers were killed and a third was captured. Officials haven’t linked the assailants to any particular organization, but the Islamic State (IS) group had released a video earlier claiming there would be more violence in Bangladesh.

Bakery siege

This attack came about a week after gunmen entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, where 20 hostages were killed. The previous day a Hindu priest had been hacked to death, some two weeks after authorities rounded up 12,000 suspected criminals.

While IS claimed responsibility for the bakery attack, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told AFP the attackers were members of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a domestic group that’s been banned for more than 10 years. Khan said there was no connection to IS.

According to an AP report, some of the men who carried out the bakery attack had been missing for months, alarming their families. The men also appeared to have come from privileged backgrounds, had grown up loved and were educated at top schools.


Counter terror abilities

So does the government have a handle on things? And is it doing enough to keep the streets safe?

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, a filmmaker in Bangladesh, said,“Bangladesh has never been ready for this kind of military attack. We don’t know how to combat it.”

Georgetown's Fair said that even though authorities have rounded up thousands of suspects in an effort to curb violence, “the government is much more interested in breaking the backs of the BNP, which is the primary rival party, and its partner, Jamaat-e-Islami. So the Sheikh Hasina government has been very sensitive to any kind of criticism that her efforts to smash the back of Jamaat have had these negative effects.”

Fair said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is facing criticism from the international community for waving aside the notion that IS or other groups were making inroads in the country.

She is also under pressure for “essentially stifling freedom of speech and ... aggressively cracking down on the media that was critical of her and what she was doing."

"One of the immediate criticisms [of the large-scale roundup] is that they were basically BNP party workers, as opposed to people that are involved in terrorism,” she said.

That point wasn’t lost on Farooki.

“When they decide to run an operation to arrest the Islamic militants, then we think this is right,” the filmmaker said. “But when they end up arresting 12,000 opposition workers or supporters, then here comes the question, because they are not the Islamic militants.”

Fair raised a question about Sheikh Hasina’s motives: “Is she really interested in taking on this terrorism menace, or is she interested in continuing [a policy] to eliminate all of her political foes?”

“Support for Jamaat-e-Islami is actually really high in Bangladesh,” Fair said, “so [Sheikh Hasina’s] approach of basically trying to eviscerate a party that has considerable support suggests that she is kind of out of touch. Not only that, the idea that everyone [in Jamaat] is involved in terrorism or is a culprit in war crimes is also quite absurd.

"So she has put herself in a situation ... where ordinary pious Muslims that [want a] different kind of state really don’t have a political channel through which they can act. ... [And this] gives fear that she is actually providing an incentive for some of these violent entrepreneurs to do what they have done.”

Police must establish fate and whereabouts: Amnesty International

Bangladeshi authorities must immediately establish the fate and whereabouts of a surviving hostage from the recent Dhaka restaurant attack who has been missing since taken by police for questioning 10 days ago, Amnesty International said today.

Fears are growing for the well-being of Hasnat Karim, who was trapped with his wife and two children in Dhaka’s Holey Bakery on 1 July, when gunmen attacked and killed more than 20 people.

The family was taken into custody by the police for questioning on 2 July, and all except Hasnat Karim were released on 3 July.

“Hasnat Karim’s family must immediately be told whether the Bangladeshi authorities are still holding him in custody and if so allow him contact with the outside world. They have already suffered a traumatic episode, and his enforced disappearance prolongs their ordeal,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.

“The arbitrary response of the Bangladeshi authorities to Hasnat Karim’s case risks further undermining the trust of the population in the government’s ability to defend their rights to life and liberty. The victims of the 1 July attack deserve justice. Whether Hasnat Karim is a witness or a suspect, he must receive due process, regardless of the crimes he is alleged to have committed.”

The Bangladeshi authorities have issued conflicting claims about Hasnat Karim’s whereabouts. On 10 July, Maudur Rahman, the Deputy Commissioner of the Dhaka Police claimed that Hasnat Karim had been released four days earlier. His statement directly contradicted information the Detective Branch gave the family on 9 July, when they said the police still had Hasnat Karim in custody.

“The contradictory claims in this case will inevitably heighten concerns. If the authorities do have Hasnat Karim in custody, then they must release him immediately or produce him in a court of law for any charges to be filed against him,” said Champa Patel.

The family is also concerned about Hasnat Karim’s health. He suffers a heart condition and requires regular treatment.

“Hasnat Karim’s family’s fears must be addressed. The Bangladeshi authorities have a poor track record when it comes to human rights in custody, with violations including torture and other ill-treatment, often to obtain ‘confessions’ and the denial of medical treatment,” said Champa Patel.

Background Information:

Enforced disappearances are a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Bangladesh is a state party, and an international crime.

An enforced disappearance typically occurs when state agents arrest or abduct a person but then refuse to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or conceal the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, placing him or her outside the protection of the law.

Once out of the public eye, individuals subjected to enforced disappearance are at great risk torture, other ill-treatment, and death.