TO: THE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND CIVIL SOCIETY

RE: Continuing Brutal Torture of Hizb ut-Tahrir Members and Activists by the Government of Bangladesh

Hizb ut-Tahrir  draws the attention of all human rights organizations based in Bangladesh and internationally, as well as the civil society in Bangladesh to the continuing brutal torture of the party’s members and activists by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB); and calls upon the responsible executives and members of the human rights community, and the civil society to take up the issue with the GOB, pressing upon them the urgency of refraining from all forms of torture.

BACKGROUND AND FACTS

1.     The current GOB resorted to a policy of brutal repression against Hizb ut-Tahrir since February, 2009, when the party exposed Sheikh Hasina and her government’s collaboration in the massacre of officers of the Muslim Army of Bangladesh. Party members and activists are regularly harassed and arrested. Up till now hundreds of party members and activists, along with the party’s official spokesman, Mohiuddin Ahmed, have been imprisoned under false cases. They are de nied bail despite plain and unambiguous grounds for granting them bail. Moreover any arrested party member or activist is always remanded in custody without fail, for no reason other than torturing them.

2.     Being true to their reputation, the Bangladesh police, RAB and the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) subject the members and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir  to inhumane torture using brutal means which include applying electric shock to their genitals, squashing them between slabs of ice for lengthy periods, blindfolding, stripping them naked, hanging them upside down and beating them severely etc.

3.     In continuing with the repressive policies against Hizb ut-Tahrir , the GOB instructed the police to launch a brutal attack on the party’s programme on 13 August, 2011, at Muktangon, Dhaka. The police severely beat and injured many members and activists who had to be admitted to hospital for treatment. The police also arrested 16 members and activists of the party from the programme. They were subsequently remanded for various durations. During their remand they were ruthlessly tortured in the same brutal fashion as in previous occasions:

• They were subjected to electric shock, applied to their genitals;
• They were stripped naked and squashed between slabs of ice for hours;
• They were blindfolded, tied, severely beaten and left hanging upside down; and
• They were forced to stay standing, and deprived of sleep for nights.

NAMES OF THE TORTURE VICTIMS

1.     Shafayet Ullah, age 17

2.     Asif Rahman, age 18

3.     Syed Abdullah, age 19

4.     Monirul Islam Piyas, age 20

5.     Jamilur Rahman, age 20

6.     Sabbir Ahmed, age 21

7.     Radi Shafiq, age 22

8.     Mohammad Faisal, age 22

9.     Ashiqur Rahman, age 22

10.   Syyedul Islam, age 22

11.   Ahmed Nizam, age 23

12.   Shahab Uddin, age 27

13.   Sharif Shah Miraj, age 27

14.   Jahidul Islam, age 29

15.   Habibur Rahman, age 35 and

16.   Jahid Uddin, age 42

Hizb ut-Tahrir urges all human rights and civil society organizations, as well as the sincere individuals from the human rights community and civil society to fulfill their duty of defending all prisoners of conscience by insisting that the GOB immediately ceases the torture of the members and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir .

Hizb ut-Tahrir
Wilayah Bangladesh

14 September 2011
16 Shawwal 1432

Interview with Mohiuddin Ahmed , media representative and chief co-ordinator of Hizb Ut Tahrir Bangladesh. Before he was illegally imprisoned without charge in 2009

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlU31qq8rQo[/youtube]