BANGLADESH - Institutional Failure Protects Rapists
Dr. Jai Maharaj
This document was published by AI in July 1997. To obtain an printed
copy please contact your nearest office or group of AI.
Forwarded article from Naeem Mohaiemen
Franz Walter Hopusch
Amnesty International
German Section
Coordination Group Bangladesh/Nepal/Bhutan
Datum:
ASA1304.DOC 31K
ASA 13/04/97 00.07.97
BANGLADESH:Institutional failures protect alleged rapists
Dokumentation ai/Aktuelles
ASA-Berichte (eng)
BANGLADESH
Institutional failures protect alleged rapists
July 1997 SUMMARY AI INDEX: ASA 13/04/97
DISTR: SC/CO
Four policemen accused of raping a young woman and garment factory
worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
alleged negligence after Shima died in safe-custody in mysterious
circumstances on 7 February 1997. Two inquiries into her death
instituted by the government and by the parliament have been
disappointing. Over five months after their establishment, they are yet
to produce any reports and recommendations.
The practice of so-called safe-custody, a form of imprisonment
ordered by the judge on application from the police, continues to be
allowed even though victims and human rights activists have urged its
abolition on the grounds that it violated the womens fundamental right
to liberty, and facilitates ill-treatment. Some women have been kept in
safe-custody for up to four years.
A series of failures by different organs and institutions of the
state have led to the custodial rape and death of Shima Chowdhury and
the acquittal of her alleged rapists. The Home Ministry, the police, the
court, the jail administration and hospital authorities should all
acknowledge their responsibility for failure to protect Shimas human
rights. Amnesty International is urging the Government of Bangladesh to
investigate these failures seriously and without delay with a view to
bringing to justice not only those who raped her, but also those whose
alleged negligence has caused her death.
KEYWORDS: SEXUAL ASSAULT1 / IMPUNITY1 / WOMEN1 / DEATH IN CUSTODY1 /
POLICE / PRISON CONDITIONS / ARBITRARY ARREST / INCOMMUNICADO DETENTION
/ UNLAWFUL DETENTION / FACTORY WORKERS / RECOMMENDED ACTIONS /
This report summarizes a 9-page document (3650-words): BANGLADESH:
Institutional failures protect alleged rapists (AI Index: ASA 13/04/97)
issued by Amnesty International in July 1997. Anyone wishing further
details or to take action on this issue should consult the full
document.
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT, 1 EASTON STREET, LONDON WC1X 8DJ, UNITED
KINGDOM
BANGLADESH
Institutional failures protect alleged rapists
Shima is no more. Her only crime was that she
chose to love a man and dared to dream of a life which promised a silver
lining. She dared to dream because in her own way she had empowered
herself, and learnt to think for herself as a self-respecting woman
working hard for a living in a garment factory
Four policemen accused of raping a young woman and garment factory
worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
alleged negligence after Shima died in safe-custody in mysterious
circumstances on 7 February 1997. Two inquiries into her death
instituted by the government and by the parliament have been
disappointing. Over five months after their establishment, they are yet
to produce any reports and recommendations.
The practice of so-called safe-custody, a form of imprisonment
ordered by the judge on application from the police, continues to be
allowed even though victims and human rights activists have urged its
abolition on the grounds that it violated the womens fundamental right
to liberty, and facilitates ill-treatment. Some women have been kept in
safe-custody for up to four years.
A series of failures by different organs and institutions of the
state have led to the custodial rape and death of Shima Chowdhury and
the acquittal of her alleged rapists. The Home Ministry, the police, the
court, the jail administration and hospital authorities should all
acknowledge their responsibility for failure to protect Shimas human
rights. Amnesty International is urging the Government of Bangladesh to
investigate these failures seriously and without delay with a view to
bringing to justice not only those who raped her, but also those whose
alleged negligence has caused her death.
1. Shima Chowdhurys rape and death
Shima Chowdhury, an 18-year-old garment factory worker was walking with
her boyfriend, Abdul Hafiz, in the afternoon of 8 October 1996 towards
the village of Majidapura near the city of Chittagong. Police personnel
passing by arrested both on the grounds that a woman may not walk with a
man to whom she is not married. There is no basis in Bangladesh law for
arrest on such grounds. They were both taken to the nearby Moghdi police
camp, were held there until the afternoon of 9 October and were not
produced before a court even though Bangladeshs Constitution requires
any detainees to be seen by the court within 24 hours of their arrest.
The couple were then transferred to Rauzan thana (police station) where
they were held in separate rooms. Abdul Hafiz was sent to a cell and
Shima was detained in the office of the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the
police station. The OC claims that he had left at midnight, leaving his
key with the duty officer Uttam Kumar Majumdar and that three other
policemen entered the room after he left.
Shima later recalled how the policemen on the night of 9 October
forced her to drink a glass of what she thought was muddy water. She
became dizzy, and in that state, the four policemen raped her.
Gradually, she lost consciousness. In the morning, the OC who claims to
have been away during the ordeal, and informed the doctor at the police
station that he had entered his office in the morning and seen Shima
lying there unconscious.
Shima was then transferred to the emergency ward of the
Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Doctors on duty saw marks of injury
on her body. A medical board was set up after Shima disclosed that she
had been raped. The board carried out tests at the Forensic Department
of the Chittagong Medical College and concluded on 15 October that on
the basis of the evidence they had examined, Shima Chowdhury had been
raped.
News of Shimas rape reached journalists and human rights
activists who rushed to the hospital to visit her - only to find that
the authorities did not allow anyone to see her. She was kept completely
isolated from her family, her friends and human rights organizations.
Meanwhile, the police told reporters that she was a prostitute and had
been raped by her own boyfriend and not by police personnel.
At this stage, after the evidence of rape was verified by the
hospital doctors, police began to investigate the case on 15 October.
The four policemen (Uttam Kumar Majumdar, Gouro Karmakar, Sadek Ali and
Abu Bashar) were named as the accused. They were arrested and sent to
Chittagong Jail and the case was allocated to the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) on 17 October. To the astonishment of human rights
activists, police implicated her boyfriend also as an accused in the
same rape case.
On 15 October, a new chapter was added to the suffering of
Shima when the court, on plea from the police, sent her to so-called
safe-custody at the Chittagong Jail. This form of custody is used for
women victims of rape, sexual assault, trafficking in women, and
kidnapping. It purports to provide safety for those in danger of further
assault, but in reality it is a form of punishment. There is reportedly
no budget allocated to keeping women is safe-custody. So, they are kept
with other prisoners and are treated as if they are charged with, or
convicted for, an offence. They usually have to do other prisoners
laundry to win a share of their ration. There is no legal basis in
Bangladesh law for such custody to which women may be sent solely on the
discretionary power of the judge.
The judge who ordered the safe-custody clearly had other
options. Several womens rights groups and human rights organizations
appealed to the court for custody of Shima, but the court persistently
rejected their appeal and insisted on Shimas remaining in jail. It is
not clear if she received further medical treatment for her injuries
from rape.
Shima remained in detention without access to a lawyer or visits
by her friends and her mother. She had to sleep on the floor and was
reportedly given no blanket in the cold months of winter to cover
herself. Her mother was persistently barred from visiting her in jail.
Completely isolated from the world outside, kept in a jail where
her rapists were also held pending trial, with no family or friends to
give her support to cope with her trauma, she became very ill. As early
as late October, her conditions were so serious that the jail officials
sent her to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital. She was diagnosed
as having gastric ulcer and lung infection. But jail officials forced
her to go back to the jail even in that condition of poor health.
According to local human rights groups, a prescription was given to her
for medication but the jail did not provide her with any medicine.
In January 1997, Shimas condition deteriorated further, but this
time the jail doctor, Dr Salahuddin, who had been informed of her
illness, did not visit her for three weeks. Eventually, he visited her
but did not authorize her transfer to hospital. On 5 February, after
Shimas conditions had deteriorated even further, the doctor reportedly
said he could not carry out a diagnosis because there were no modern
diagnostic facilities in jail. He gave Shima malaria tablets. On 7
February, Dr Salahuddin visited Shima again. She was suffering from
severe stomach pain and was in a critical condition. The doctor
suggested that she be sent to the hospital but no ambulances were called
and Shima was taken to the hospital in a pedal rickshaw several hours
later. She was not even taken to the nearest hospital, the Chittagong
General Hospital.
On arrival at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Shima was
declared dead. A postmortem was carried out, but the police insisted
that Shimas body should be cremated. The cremation was carried out
immediately. On 1 March 1997, about three weeks after Shimas death, the
autopsy report was completed stating that Shima had died of typhoid, and
that no traces of poison had been found in her stomach or blood.
Shima should never have been in custody and, at the very least,
she should have been released as soon as her medical condition
deteriorated, as was being urged by womens groups and human rights
organizations. Instead, she was left to cope with her own traumatic
experience, and with a serious illness without medication or necessary
treatment.
On 2 February 1997, five days before Shimas mysterious deaths,
the police, having completed their investigation, brought charges
against the accused police officers. As if to justify the criminal acts
of the policemen, however, police continued to refer to Shima as a
floating prostitute in the chargesheet. Shimas boyfriend, Abdul Hafiz,
had reportedly been released several months earlier.
On 14 July, the trial judge set free for lack of evidence all
four policemen accused of raping Shima. The judge reportedly deplored
that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and witnesses. In
contrast, lawyers for the accused policemen presented a stronger case
which the judge said might be due to the fact that colleagues of the
accused had carried out the investigation and drawn up the chargesheet.
Womens rights groups protested to the government about this
acquittal. Sammilito Nari Samaj (United Women Community) said the court
order proved that there was negligence on the governments part in
framing the charges, and that they were concerned about the lack of
justice for working women abused by police because in most such cases
investigators and prosecutors are pursuing charges against their
colleagues. On 15 July, the government announced that it would appeal
the acquittal of the four policemen. A fresh investigation was
reportedly ordered into proceedings leading to the court verdict. Home
Minister Rafiqul Islam warned that any one including police found
tampering with the evidence that led to the acquittal would be punished,
while the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
demanded retrial of the four policemen.
2. Inquiry by the local administration
The only official inquiry into the death of Shima which has so far
presented a report was ordered by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of
Chittagong immediately after her death. It completed its investigation
on 14 February 1997 and presented its report to the government. The
report has not been made public but according to official comments, the
inquiry noted that Shima had not been accompanied by a doctor or a nurse
on the way to the hospital on 7 February 1997, that her nose was
bleeding and some of her teeth were loose. It held the two jail doctors,
Shah Alam Mollah, and Salauddin responsible for negligence in the
treatment of Shima. It also noted that jail authorities had shown
negligence in allowing Shimas body to be cremated soon after her death.
3. Inquiry by Bangladesh womens rights groups
The Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) issued the result of
their own investigation into Shimas death on 16 February. It raised
strong suspicion about the circumstances of her death - which happened
only five days after the announcement of charges against the four
policemen - as she was the only witness to the rape. It said that there
were ample grounds to conclude that Shima may have died possibly of
deliberate food poisoning. It raised serious concern that Shima and her
accused rapists had been kept in the same jail, allowing the accused to
torment her through corrupt jail staff and seeing to it that she did not
receive adequate medical treatment or support from outside the jail.
4. The one-person official inquiry
On 14 February, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed said she had ordered
an inquiry into the death of Shima. She said action would be taken
against those identified by this investigation as responsible for Shimas
death. She also said that legal action would be taken against those who
raped Shima at Rauzan police station. On 15 February, the government
reportedly announced that it had instituted a one-person inquiry as
directed by the Prime Minister, and had appointed Dalil Uddin Ahmed, a
retired judge of the High Court, to conduct the inquiry and submit his
report and recommendations within three weeks (ie, by 10 March 1997).
But there were soon signs that the inquiry would not meet this
deadline. For instance, it took Mr Dalil Uddin Ahmed over a week to
undertake his first visit (on 24 February) to the police station where
Shima had been gang-raped. On 25 April 1997, Bangladesh newspapers
reported that the inquiry had sought and received an extension of four
weeks to submit its report. This would have given the inquiry until 25
May for its report, but by mid-July there was no news about the
completion of this report.
5. The parliamentary inquiry
On 17 February, the Prime Minister, responding to concern by members of
the parliament about the death of Shima in safe-custody, proposed the
formation of a parliamentary inquiry, in addition to the one-person
judicial inquiry, to probe into the death of Shima. On 19 February 1997,
an 11-member parliamentary committee was formed. It was headed by
Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad with five other members from the
ruling Awami League, three members from the BNP, one from Jatyia Party,
and one from Jamaat-i-Islami. Only one member of the inquiry was a
woman. The conduct of this committee, too, has been disappointing. As of
mid-July 1997, this committee had not produced a report.
6. Other instances of rape in police custody
Bangladeshi police frequently take young girls into custody on concocted
grounds of suspicious behaviour which is allowed under section 54 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure. They then subject the victims to gang rape.
Many victims, however, keep quiet after they are released for fear of
their lives. In August 1995, a 14-year-old girl, Yasmin Akhter, died
after three police officers in Dinajpur had reportedly raped and injured
her. They had reportedly given her a lift in a police van and later
dropped her dead body by the roadside. Police claimed she had died when
she jumped from the van. Following public protests about attempted
cover-up, three police officers were suspended and charged. A judicial
inquiry submitted its report to the government in October but it was not
made public. In October 1996, the trial of three police officers charged
with her rape and murder began but had not been concluded at the time of
writing. In 1996 alone, at least 11 instances of such rape in custody
were reported in the country.
Amnesty Internationals conclusions and recommendations
_ According to reports, police claim that they arrested Shima and her
boyfriend under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which
allows the police to arrest nine categories of criminal suspects without
an order from a magistrate and without a warrant of arrest. The police
say they have received complaints from residents of the village that
Shima was eloping with a young man. They pursued the matter and found
the couple walking hand in hand, and the couples arrest has been on that
account. According to Bangladesh legal experts, it is not a criminal
offence for a woman to walk with a man to whom she is not married so no
basis for suspicion of an offence on that ground under Section 54
exists. Shimas arrest is therefore believed to have been unlawful.
Amnesty International urges the government of Bangladesh to:
- establish the reason for this apparent misuse of power by the
police and bring the perpetrators to justice.
- review section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure with a
view to preventing its misuse for the purposes of arbitrary detention.
_ Human rights investigators have been told by police at Rauzan Police
Station that there exist no records of Shimas arrest and detention
before her transfer to safe-custody in Chittagong Jail. As Shimas
situation proves, keeping prisoners without record leaves them
vulnerable to police abuse.
Amnesty International is urging the government of Bangladesh to
establish the reason why such records were not kept, and why was she
not produced before a court within 24 hours of her arrest as
required by international human rights law and Article 33 of the
Constitution of Bangladesh. It urges the government to take
concrete steps to reinforce such safeguards in law and practice.
_ Shimas continued detention and rape took place while she was in the
custody of the Officer-in-Charge (OC) in Rauzan police stations.
An inquiry should review the case against the police involved
and if culpability is established recommend appropriate action be taken
against them.
_ Shimas transfer to safe-custody was ordered by the court on
application by the police. An inquiry should establish:
- the grounds on which the judge ordered her transfer to
safe-custody;
- the reason why the judge continued to refuse access to
lawyers, family members and friends of Shima during the critical stages
after her rape and while she was in safe-custody;
- the reason why Shima was held in the same jail as her rapists
and the judges continued refusal, as reported to Amnesty International,
to accept that she should be transferred to a womans home run by human
rights organizations;
Amnesty International urges that if the inquiry establishes that
the judge had acted in connivance with the police, the judge himself
should be brought to justice;
_ The official inquiry by the local administration of Chittagong has
reportedly concluded that Shimas death was due to negligence of the jail
administration and of the jail doctors.
An inquiry should establish the reason for this negligence and
hold to account anyone found to be responsible. The government should
make provisions for visits to police stations by independent
bodies and allow the results of such visits to be made public.
_ Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and other government authorities
have, on occasions, publicly stated that custodial rape and sexual abuse
would not be tolerated by the government and perpetrators would be
brought to justice. Amnesty International welcomes these assurances but
notes that they do not appear to have been fully implemented.
Amnesty International recommends a series of steps that could
provide protection to women at risk of human rights abuses by law
enforcement agencies. It is urging the government to:
- provide gender-sensitive human rights training to police;
- make sure that female staff are present during investigation
of women detainees; make sure that female staff are present during the
interrogation of women detainees;
- ensure that there is no contact between male guards and female
detainees or prisoners unless a female guard is present.
Under no circumstances should women be detained overnight
without female staff being present.
_ The practice of safe-custody in its current form gives the police a
free hand to keep victims of rape outside the reach of lawyers, their
family members and human rights activists. It prevents the victim from
seeking justice for the abuse they have suffered. According to
information received by Amnesty International, even after the death of
Shima, some judges in Bangladesh continue to accept police application
for safe custody. The government must first of all ensure that no woman
is sent to jail under the pretext of safe-custody. Instead, the
government must ensure that adequate remedies are available to women
whose human rights have been violated by the police. They must receive
compensation and rehabilitation. All allegations must be promptly and
thoroughly investigated. Perpetrators must be brought to justice. These
measures are absolutely required by international standards, including
the UN Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected
to Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, and the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and
Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions - which
are relevant to cases of suspicious deaths in custody.
_ Serious violations of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination against Women which Bangladesh has ratified may be
involved in Shimas case. The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women has noted in its General Recommendation
No.19 (11th Session, 1992) that:
Gender-based violence, which impairs or nullifies the enjoyment
by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms under several
international law or under human rights conventions, is discrimination
within the meaning of Article 1 of the Convention. These rights and
freedoms include: a) the right to life; b) the right not to be subjected
to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ...;
d) the right to liberty and security of person; e) the right to legal
protection under the law ...
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women,
adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 1993 states in it Article
4(b): that States should ... refrain from engaging in violence against
women ..., (and) (c): 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.
What you can do:
* Bring the case to the attention of government authorities in
Bangladesh.
* Urge them to implement Amnesty Internationals recommendations.
End of forwarded article from Naeem Mohaiemen
The best strategy for long-lasting peace, economic growth
and the strong defense of south Asia is the reunification
of countries in the subcontinent. - Jai Maharaj.
Jai Maharaj
http://www.flex.com/~jai
Om Shanti
Copyright (C) 1997 Mantra Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Perwesh Sharma
In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
<j...@mantra.com> writes
<Snipped>
>
>Four policemen accused of raping a young woman and garment factory
>worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
>acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
>deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
>witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
>
> No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
<Snipped>
Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
with anything.
World must find a way of punishing those corrupt in power and and not
the people and until we do that this is only the tip of the iceberg as
injustices go.
--
Perwesh Sharma
-W.SATTAR
In article <PgFhnNA$Z6B0...@primex.demon.co.uk>,
Perwesh Sharma <kspe...@primex.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
><j...@mantra.com> writes
><Snipped>
>>worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
>>acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
>>deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
>>witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
>> No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
>
>Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
>One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
>
>It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
>with anything.
My friend, you are making sweeping generalizations! Who are you
referring to as "they"? Are you referring to the handful of policemen
that are responsible for this criminal act? Or are you referring to
those who "beg for mercy at each flood" ... who you expect would take
care of their own?
This incident along with similar incidences of police brutality
are deplored by the Bangladeshi society at large. This criminal act
is neither sanctioned by the elected govt of Bangladesh nor by the
elected opposition nor by the people at large. Just as we come
across cases of police brutality all over the world and instances
of cover-ups, we too have our own share of it in Bangladesh. We would
like to clean our police departments of such kinds of criminals.
I don't see any connection between being victims of natural disasters
and stray cases of police corruption.
Shubhechhante,
Wasif Sattar
Riyadh, KSA.
Shafi Khan
-W.SATTAR wrote:
> I don't see any connection between being victims of natural disasters
> and stray cases of police corruption.
>
> Shubhechhante,
> Wasif Sattar
> Riyadh, KSA.
Nor do we see any connection between police brutality and communalism.
In a recent verdict on Yasmin rape and murder case a Hindu driver of
Police vehicle named Amrita Barman is sentenced to death. My opinion
does not however prove that Hindus are not being discriminated in BD.
My point is that both Mr Maharaja and Mr Sharma are confused in their
thought at best.
Shafi
M. Zahirul Islam
Perwesh Sharma wrote:
>
> In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
> <j...@mantra.com> writes
>
> <Snipped>
>
> >
> >worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
> >acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
> >deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
> >witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
> >
> > No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
>
>
> Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
> One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
>
> It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
> with anything.
>
> the people and until we do that this is only the tip of the iceberg as
> injustices go.
> --
> Perwesh Sharma
Hell man! what this incident has anything to do with begging for mercy
at each flood. And which world are you living in?. Haven't you heard
of Rodney King beating in LA or more recent police brutality in NYC.
I am no way implying that what happened in Bangladesh is acceptable,
I am as disgusted as you are, but you seems to think that it is
'Absolutely sickening' for a country like Bangladesh because we get
flooded every other year and go around asking for mercy. Your thought
process is pretty sickening to me.
Zahir
Perwesh Sharma
In article <340C61...@aiwa-rd.com>, "M. Zahirul Islam"
<moha...@aiwa-rd.com> writes
>Perwesh Sharma wrote:
>>
>> In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
>> <j...@mantra.com> writes
>>
>> <Snipped>
>>
>> >
>> >worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
>> >acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
>> >deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
>> >witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
>> >
>> > No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
>>
>>
>> Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
>> One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
>>
>> It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
>> with anything.
>>
>> World must find a way of punishing those corrupt in power and and not
>> the people and until we do that this is only the tip of the iceberg as
>> injustices go.
>> --
>> Perwesh Sharma
>
>Hell man! what this incident has anything to do with begging for mercy
>at each flood. And which world are you living in?. Haven't you heard
>of Rodney King beating in LA or more recent police brutality in NYC.
And yes! Disgust was expressed by most Americans.
>
>I am no way implying that what happened in Bangladesh is acceptable,
>I am as disgusted as you are,
I didn't see any evidence from Bagladeshis.
>Your thought
>process is pretty sickening to me.
Obviously more sickening than the incident itself.
>
>
>Zahir
--
Perwesh Sharma
M. Zahirul Islam
Perwesh Sharma wrote:
>
> In article <340C61...@aiwa-rd.com>, "M. Zahirul Islam"
> <moha...@aiwa-rd.com> writes
> >Perwesh Sharma wrote:
> >>
> >> In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
> >> <j...@mantra.com> writes
> >>
> >> <Snipped>
> >>
> >> >
> >> >worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
> >> >acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
> >> >deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
> >> >witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
> >> >
> >> > No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
> >>
> >>
> >> Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
> >> One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
> >>
> >> It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
> >> with anything.
> >>
> >> World must find a way of punishing those corrupt in power and and not
> >> the people and until we do that this is only the tip of the iceberg as
> >> injustices go.
> >> --
> >> Perwesh Sharma
> >
> >Hell man! what this incident has anything to do with begging for mercy
> >at each flood. And which world are you living in?. Haven't you heard
> >of Rodney King beating in LA or more recent police brutality in NYC.
>
> And yes! Disgust was expressed by most Americans.
>
> >
> >I am no way implying that what happened in Bangladesh is acceptable,
> >I am as disgusted as you are,
>
> I didn't see any evidence from Bagladeshis.
What kind of evidence you looking for? How long have you been following
this story to conclude that Bangladeshis were not disgusted? If you had
any other concern in this story other than making your wiseass remark
generalizing Bangladeshis, you would know by now that three of the
policemen were found guilty in a later trial and received death
sentence.
>
> >Your thought
> >process is pretty sickening to me.
>
> Obviously more sickening than the incident itself.
Again, this is your twisted perception of Bangladeshis, isn't it?
> >
> >
> >Zahir
>
> --
> Perwesh Sharma
You did not enlighten me though how this crime of few policemen relates
to our bad fortune of flood and begging. I am dieing to know.
M. Harun uz Zaman
Perwesh Sharma wrote:
>
> In article <340C61...@aiwa-rd.com>, "M. Zahirul Islam"
> <moha...@aiwa-rd.com> writes
> >Perwesh Sharma wrote:
> >>
> >> In article <Bangladesh-...@news.mantra.com>, "Dr. Jai Maharaj"
> >> <j...@mantra.com> writes
> >>
> >> <Snipped>
> >>
> >> >
> >> >worker, Shima Chowdhury, in their custody in October 1996, were
> >> >acquitted by a trial court on 14 July 1997. The judge reportedly
> >> >deplored that government lawyers had presented weak evidence and
> >> >witnesses. This effectively allowed the police to get away with rape.
> >> >
> >> > No one in the jail administration has been held to account for
> >>
> >>
> >> Absolutely sickening in a country that begs for mercy at each flood.
> >> One would have thought that they would have taken care of their own.
The two are unrelated.
> >>
> >> It seems that once they define someone as a prostitute they can get away
> >> with anything.
No it does not. Either the government did not build a strong
enough case,
(because the government was sheltering the accused, or the
government
lawyers were plain incompetent), or the judge himself was not
fair. In either
case, it had nothing to do with the poor girl being labelled as a
prostitute
by those morons defending the accused.
> >>
> >> World must find a way of punishing those corrupt in power and and not
> >> the people and until we do that this is only the tip of the iceberg as
> >> injustices go.
Good point. Goes for every country, not just BD. If you want to
learn about
human rights abuses that go unpunished in many countries, including
India, just
get a copy of the Amnesty International's annual report.
> >> --
> >> Perwesh Sharma
> >
> >Hell man! what this incident has anything to do with begging for mercy
> >at each flood. And which world are you living in?. Haven't you heard
> >of Rodney King beating in LA or more recent police brutality in NYC.
>
> And yes! Disgust was expressed by most Americans.
>
> >
> >I am no way implying that what happened in Bangladesh is acceptable,
> >I am as disgusted as you are,
>
> I didn't see any evidence from Bagladeshis.
>
Did you look at our newsgroup around the time this incident happened?
If you did,
you would have seen a flood of condemnations. Next time you feel the
urge to jump
to conclusions and vent your prejudices, take a moment to check the
news item
carefully, and pay attention to such minor details as dates, and find
out what happened since then.
> >Your thought
> >process is pretty sickening to me.
>
> Obviously more sickening than the incident itself.
Obviously you did not follow what he was saying.
Best wishes.
M. Harun uz Zaman, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University
> >
> >
> >Zahir
>
> --
> Perwesh Sharma