ASSASSINATION OF TWO JUDGES SPARKS COURT PROTESTS

UNCLAS DHAKA 005593

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER KISL PGOV BG BG
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF TWO JUDGES SPARKS COURT PROTESTS


1. (SBU) Summary: An IED thrown at a court commuter van
killed two judges and injured four others in southern
Bangladesh. Home State Minister Babar speculated to
reporters that Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB),the
alleged perpetrator of the August 17 and October 3 bomb
blasts, was behind the attack. District judges across the
country subsequently walked out of court in protest and
threatened a "greater movement" if the BDG fails to ensure
security for judges by November 21. End Summary


2. (SBU) On November 14, assailants hurled an IED at a van
carrying judges from their residential quarters in
Jhalakhati, about 200 miles south of Dhaka, to the local
district court, according to press and other reports.
Senior Assistant Judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pery were
killed and several other persons were injured, including a
suspected attacker named Mamun. Local people reportedly
detained Mamun, who, according to some reports,
unsuccessfully tried to explode another bomb from his pocket
on way to hospital in Barisal. BDG officials and media
reports said Mamun carried leaflets from Jamaatul Mujahidin
Bangladesh (JMB) calling for the implementation of Islamic
law. Police subsequently raided Mamun's house in northern
Rajshahi district and found a large number of JMB leaflets,
and detained another suspect from Jhalakathi.


3. (SBU) District judges across the country walked out of
court to protest the attack, the fourth of its kind since
the 17 August serial blasts that rocked all but one of
Bangladesh's 64 districts. Leaders of the Judicial Service
Association expressed grave concern at the insecurity of
judges in the face of JMB threats and attacks. They
threatened "a greater movement" if the BDG fails to ensure
their security by November 21. The Supreme Court Bar
Association in Dhaka also called for measures to ensure
security for judges and lawyers. The lawyers boycotted
Supreme Court hearings this afternoon and announced another
boycott for November 17.


4. (SBU) Babar, Law Minister Ahmed, and the chiefs of the
police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) visited
Jhalakhati and consoled the families of the victims. Babar
told reporters that JMB was using the name of Islam to carry
out activities not approved by Islam. Ahmed said
perpetrators of violence are enemies of Bangladesh whose
objective is to destabilize the country.


5. (SBU) The Jhalkathi incident occurred one day after the
heads of government of the seven South Asian countries that
comprise SAARC promised at their Dhaka summit to bolster
counter-terrorism cooperation. Judges and court premises
featured prominently in the August 17 and October 3 bomb
blasts. On November 8, police had reportedly recovered 13
locally made bombs from an abandoned building in Jhalakhati,
a hub of ultra Maoists, and arrested three persons for
interrogation.

CHAMMAS