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| Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06DHAKA239 |
STACKING THE ELECTION COMMISSION [...] (SBU) On January 16, President Iajuddin Ahmed, acting on the advice of PM Zia, appointed two new commissioners to the Election Commission (EC): BNP loyalists Mahfuzur Rahman, former High Court Justice, and S.M. Zakaria, the now former Secretary of the EC. Both men are expected to side with [...] |
2006-01-17 11:39:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BG KGOV BGD |
| 07DHAKA1057 |
THE ONGOING CASE OF SHOAIB CHOUDHURY: HEADED FOR [...] (C) SUMMARY. In recent conversations with POLOFF, Bangladeshi journalist Salahuddin Shoaib Choudhury expressed his increasing confidence that his case is headed for dismissal. He cited a noticeable change in the government's attitude, specifically the replacement of his criminal trial judge a [...] |
2007-06-26 08:11:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA1068 |
A VIEW FROM CHITTAGONG: STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. "Guide and support this government" was the refrain from journalists, businessmen, academics and other elites on a recent visit to Chittagong. While acknowledging problems and imperfections with the government, almost everyone endorsed its anti-corruption agenda and asked the [...] |
2007-07-01 08:20:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM ECON BG |
| 07DHAKA1095 |
GOVERNMENT'S PHOTO VOTER LIST PILOT PROJECT A [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. The Bangladesh Election Commission's three-week pilot project to test new methodologies for compiling the voter list officially ended on June 28. The pilot, which took place in Sreepur north of Bangladesh, registered approximately 46,000 voters and tested different data collect [...] |
2007-07-03 08:29:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1096 |
POLITICAL INSIDER DESCRIBES POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT [...] (C) SUMMARY. Nazim Kamran Chowdhury, a prominent ad executive with close ties to the government, defended the government's decision to put off national elections until late 2008 and described his efforts to persuade the Chief Adviser to assert himself more politically. Chowdhury said the mili [...] |
2007-07-04 23:23:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1135 |
KILLING BY RAB SPARKS PROTESTS [...] (U) SUMMARY. A May 18 incident in northwestern Bangladesh has attracted unprecedented domestic criticism of the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). A man was allegedly beaten to death by RAB officers, resulting in a public protest and subsequent clampdown by the government. END SUMMAR [...] |
2007-07-12 03:37:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1153 |
GOVERNMENT UNVEILS ROADMAP TO ELECTIONS BY END OF [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda announced a "roadmap" for elections in a press conference on July 15. The plan calls for national polls by December 2008, with staggered local elections beginning in January 2008. END SUMMARY. NATIONAL ELECTIONS [...] |
2007-07-16 08:14:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1161 |
HASINA FACES NUMEROUS ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, [...] SUMMARY. (SBU) On July 16, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina was arrested at her Dhaka residence and brought to court on charges of extortion. The charges stem from an alleged bribe Hasina and her cousin, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, extracted from a company seeking permission to build an e [...] |
2007-07-18 09:17:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1234 |
ANATOMY OF THE EXTORTION CASE AGAINST SHEIKH HASINA [...] (C) SUMMARY. On July 16, Awami League leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was detained by police and brought before a Dhaka magistrate, where she was accused of abetment in an extortion case. Authorities provided the Embassy with copies of evidence, including the confession of Shei [...] |
2007-07-30 03:32:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1235 |
AUTHORITIES PROVIDE SPECIAL JAIL ACCOMMODATIONS TO [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. On July 16, Awami League president and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was arrested by police and arraigned on charges of abetting extortion. She is being held at a special sub-jail created for her on the grounds of Parliament. Over the past two weeks, authorities have made [...] |
2007-07-30 05:51:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1376 |
GOVERNMENT FACES TOUGHEST TEST AS VIOLENT PROTESTS ROCK [...] (SBU) Summary: Bangladesh's eight-month caretaker government is facing its severest political test yet after student protests at Dhaka University spilled into the capital's streets on August 21. If mishandled, the protests threaten to weaken the caretaker government and could tarnish the reput [...] |
2007-08-21 09:53:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KGOV KDEM ASEC BG |
| 07DHAKA1379 |
AS VERDICT IN TRIAL NEARS, SIGMA HUDA'S HEALTH [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Sigma Huda's sister Khushi Kabir discussed Sigma's medical condition with POLOFF. Kabir said Sigma's health was not good, but that the jail authorities had moved her to the hospital for better care. Nevertheless, if the government continues to drag its feet in authorizing paymen [...] |
2007-08-22 02:15:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1389 |
SIGMA HUDA CONVICTED OF EXTORTION [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Nazmul and Sigma Huda were found guilty of extortion by a special anti-corruption court on August 27. Both received prison sentences, though the family will appeal. Sigma's health has improved recently. According to her sister, she is now able to get most of the health tests s [...] |
2007-08-27 09:33:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA1986 |
CORRUPTION TRIAL AGAINST SHEIKH HASINA CONTINUES [...] (U) SUMMARY. The corruption trial of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League recommenced with hearings on the framing of charges, when the prosecution presented its evidence for defense examination. Sheikh Hasina used her courtroom appearance to pass a public message through he [...] |
2007-12-31 09:52:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA254 |
HASINA GIVES GOVERNMENT 120 DAYS TO HOLD ELECTIONS [...] (C) Summary. Sheikh Hasina says the interim government has 120 days -- the constitutional duration of the state of emergency -- to hold elections and prevent her supporters from hitting the streets. She dismissed rumors of her imminent self-exile and the political potential of Nobel prize la [...] |
2007-02-14 09:32:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA547 |
ELECTION COMMISSION TO PREPARE NEW VOTER LIST IN [...] (C) SUMMARY. The Election Commission will take at least 18 months to prepare a new voter list with photographs, Chief Election Commissioner Huda told the Ambassador, and the voter list would be prepared in tandem with a project to introduce national identification cards. The Commissioners also [...] |
2007-04-04 06:00:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA623 |
YUNUS EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT AGENDA, [...] (C) Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Mohammad Yunus offered praise of the caretaker government in a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission, POLOFF and Staff Advisor Manpreet Singh Anand of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 8. Yunus acknowledged mistakes had been made -- such as mass demol [...] |
2007-04-16 04:00:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | KDEM PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA683 |
GOVERNMENT UNVEILS ELECTORAL REFORM PLAN [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. The Election Commission briefed donors on its plan for electoral reform. The head of the Commission's Secretariat laid out a roadmap for preparing a new voter list SIPDIS with photographs. The new, computerized database resulting from this project will serve in the longer term [...] |
2007-04-26 03:26:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07DHAKA867 |
NEW ARRESTS NET HIGH-PROFILE POLITICAL PLAYERS [...] (C) SUMMARY. The latest wave of high-profile political detentions includes Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil, other Sheikh Hasina loyalists, and two reputedly corrupt former BNP ministers, Lutfozzaman Babar and Altaf Hussain Chowdhury. Meanwhile, the government has asked the high cou [...] |
2007-05-29 10:46:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA880 |
DETAINEES REMANDED INTO CUSTODY FOLLOWING LATEST [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Several high-profile political figures appeared before judges on May 29 following their detention the day before. Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil and former BNP Home Minister Lutfozzoman Babar were both remanded into custody for four days for interrogation about corr [...] |
2007-05-30 23:30:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PGOV PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA881 |
DETAINEES REMANDED INTO CUSTODY FOLLOWING LATEST [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Several high-profile political figures appeared before judges on May 29 following their detention the day before. Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil and former BNP Home Minister Lutfozzoman Babar were both remanded into custody for four days for interrogation about corr [...] |
2007-05-30 23:30:00 | Embassy Dhaka | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PGOV PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA909 |
DAILY STAR JOURNALIST'S PASSPORT RETURNED [...] (C) SUMMARY. On May 11, Daily Star journalist and Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Tasnim Khalil was detained by Directorate General Forces Intelligence (DGFI) for questioning about alleged anti-state activities, including blog entries and articles he wrote critical of the government. Since [...] |
2007-06-05 08:20:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM KGOV BG |
| 07DHAKA984 |
CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER LAYS OUT PLAN FOR [...] (C) SUMMARY. The Election Commission is preparing to announce a roadmap for elections in mid-July. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Huda clarified the role of the army in the voter registration process, discussed how planning for the registration process was proceeding, and assured the Ambass [...] |
2007-06-17 08:09:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 07KINSHASA297 |
UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSESSES CHILD SOLDIER [...] (U) UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy visited the DRC March 4-9 to assess the situation of child soldiers in the country. She met with Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga and Minister of Defense Chikez Diemo, as well as officials of the Congolese demobi [...] |
2007-03-13 13:34:00 | Embassy Kinshasa | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM KGOV MOPS CG |
| 07NICOSIA949 |
CYPRUS: ELECTION CAMPAIGN -- IT'S NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID [...] (SBU) Summary and Introduction. Presidential elections are now less than three months away (scheduled for February 17, 2008) and the candidates have begun their campaigning in earnest. The Cyprus problem remains far and away the leading debate issue, and will likely play the most decisive ro [...] |
2007-12-03 13:42:00 | Embassy Nicosia | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN KGOV PREL CY |
| 08ABUJA2376 |
NIGERIAN SLOW-MOVING RESHUFFLE UPDATE: SENATE [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: On December 3, the Senate confirmed the list of 13 ministerial nominees forwarded to them by Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua (reftel), and acknowledged the receipt of five more names to fill the 22 vacancies created by the October 29 removal of 19 ministers, the resignation of [...] |
2008-12-05 15:58:00 | Embassy Abuja | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL KGOV PINR NI |
| 08DHAKA250 |
TWO U.S. ANTI-TRAFFICKING ADVOCATES VISIT [...] (C) SUMMARY. Two representatives from the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), a U.S.-based anti-trafficking organization, visited Bangladesh February 7-10 to discuss the case of Sigma Huda, the former UN Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons who is currently serving a prison sentence [...] |
2008-02-26 04:00:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 08DHAKA251 |
LARGEST ISLAMIC PARTY FACES RENEWED ALLEGATIONS OF [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. Bangladesh,s largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has come under scrutiny in recent months for alleged war crimes committed by its members during the 1971 Liberation War. With the Awami League leading the charge, there have been demands for the Election Commission to ban Jam [...] |
2008-02-26 07:49:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 08DHAKA258 |
PROMINENT HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE DISCUSSES CURRENT [...] (C) SUMMARY. Elena Khan, a barrister and current head of the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR), discussed the current state of affairs in Bangladesh and her own personal legal concerns. She expressed concern for the health of BSEHR's incarcerated former secretary [...] |
2008-02-28 04:24:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 08DHAKA327 |
INSPECTOR GENERAL OF PRISONS DISCUSSES THE [...] (C) SUMMARY. In a recent meeting, the Inspector General of Prisons discussed with POLOFF the health conditions of the two jailed former prime ministers. He also said he was trying to arrange for Sigma Huda, a prominent human rights activist, to be transferred back to the hospital for further [...] |
2008-03-13 10:12:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG |
| 08TBILISI923 |
DAS BRYZA VISIT WITH DEFENSE MINISTER KEZERASHVILI [...] (C) Summary: On May 9, Georgian Defense Minister Kezerashvili and First Deputy Defense Minister Kutelia told DAS Bryza that they were very concerned by the build-up of Russian forces in Abkhazia, claiming that at least 600 of the forces that purported to be peacekeepers are actually paratroo [...] |
2008-06-02 13:20:00 | Embassy Tbilisi | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM KGOV RS GG |
| 09DHAKA121 |
BANGLADESH SCENESETTER FOR A/S BOUCHER [...] (SBU) USG activities in Bangladesh are based on three pillars: democratization, development and denial of space to terrorists. The new government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to power in Parliamentary elections on December 29 and is beginning to flesh out its policies on issues o [...] |
2009-02-03 02:57:00 | Embassy Dhaka | SECRET | PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG |
| 09DHAKA555 |
BANGLADESH SCENESETTER FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY [...] (C) Bob, I am glad you are headed our way. We look forward to welcoming you to Bangladesh, a moderate Muslim-majority country of nearly 150 million people that is friendly to the United States. This is a surprisingly hopeful place despite the daunting problems it faces: recurring natural disast [...] |
2009-06-03 10:10:00 | Embassy Dhaka | SECRET//NOFORN | PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG |
| 09DHAKA615 |
ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE PUSHES HOME MINISTER FOR [...] (C) Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Robert O. Blake told the Bangladesh Home Affairs Minister counterterrorism cooperation could expand greatly if Bangladesh's security forces became more accountable and transparent. The minister, Advocate Shahara Khatun, responded that the Gov [...] |
2009-06-17 05:32:00 | Embassy Dhaka | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG |