CONTROVERSIAL JOURNALIST IN HIDING AFTER DISPUTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 006225 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ASEC CASC BG SUBJECT: CONTROVERSIAL JOURNALIST IN HIDING AFTER DISPUTED ATTACK Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Geeta Pasi; reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Controversial Bangladeshi journalist Shoaib Chowdhury is in hiding following an attack on him last week at his newspaper office. He has been in touch with us multiple occasions to express concerns about his safety. We have flagged with the Home Minister, the Foreign Secretary, and senior police officers our strong concern for his situation and our interest in seeing that he receive the full benefit of his due process and other rights accorded him under Bangladeshi law. The GOB has assured us it is fully committed to Chowdhury's protection. There are conflicting accounts, some of them from Chowdhury himself, on the circumstances of the attack and his current legal situation. END SUMMARY. Most Recent Incident -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Late October 9, Salah Uddin Shoaib Chowdhury editor of the Weekly Blitz tabloid, called us several times to say he was in danger of being arrested by police and finally to inquire about asylum. Asked what type of asylum he sought, Chowdhury told A/DCM that what he really wanted was a "safe place to stay" for 72 hours while his lawyer secured anticipatory bail for him in a pending civil case. ¶3. (SBU) Chowdhury stated that police were looking for him in relation to a case he had filed against several BNP activists, including Helal Uddin Khan, and the police officer-in-charge of the Shahbag Police Station in Dhaka. According to Chowdhury he filed a case against Khan and the others after they ransacked his newspaper's offices in the CMV Building and beat him up on October 5. Chowdhury also filed a case against the officer-in-charge, accusing him of refusing to take any action against the perpetrators. The case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. 4.(C) Chowdhury told us that Khan had filed a counter-suit against Chowdhury which the court immediately referred back to the Shahbag Police Station for "action" and that an arrest warrant had been issued for him. On October 9, Chowdhury was instructed by his lawyer to leave his home and office to avoid being arrested until the lawyer filed the paperwork for anticipatory bail, which he expected to do on October 11. Chowdhury told us that he was particularly concerned about being arrested because he had filed charges against the officer-in-charge of the station assigned to arrest him, and he feared torture if detained by them. Chowdhury said he spent the night of October 9-10 at friends' homes in Dhaka. 5.(C) Once Chowdhury asked for asylum, Embassy contacted the State Operations Center to discuss the matter and coordinate next steps. Following a lengthy conference call involving Charge, A/DCM and representatives from SCA, G, PRM, DS, and L, it was agreed that the Embassy was not in a position to provide asylum or shelter for Chowdhury but that we would reach out to the GOB in Dhaka and that SCA would contact Ambassador Chowdhury in Washington to underscore our interest in Chowdhury's situation. Following the conference call, A/DCM called Chowdhury's cell phone number to inquire about his current status and to advise him of our concern and proposed actions, but his cell phone was turned off. ¶6. (SBU) On October 10, we spoke with Chowdhury several times to seek more details on his situation. At no point did he ask for assistance or repeat his request for asylum or sanctuary. He advised us that he was not under arrest but was still moving around Dhaka to avoid the police. ¶7. (SBU) There were conflicting reports, some from Chowdhury himself, in the aftermath of the October 5 attack about the attack's circumstances and possible motivations. Chowdhury appeared to retreat from his initial statement that the attack stemmed from a long-standing property dispute with the owner of his newspaper building to emphasize instead the possibility that the attackers were political and persecuting him from his criticism of Islamist extremist elements in Bangladesh. ¶8. (C) On October 10, Chowdhury's lawyer, Samarendra Goswami, told us that the problem between Khan and Choudhury was in fact a property dispute. Chowdhury and Khan disagreed about whether Choudhury had agreed to purchase the CMV Building from Khan for 500,000 taka (about USD 8,000),and the problem escalated from there. On October 5, Khan and his supporters went to Chowdhury's offices to forcibly evict him from the DHAKA 00006225 002 OF 002 property. The lawyer said that it was also political because Khan was a member of the BNP's cultural wing. ¶9. (C) Goswami said that no rpt no arrest warrant has been issued for Choudhury, but he was still preparing "anticipatory bail" for him. When asked why Choudhury was on the run, Goswami said "from experience and speculation I believe the police are after him." However, he also told us that the complaint which the court referred for investigation asked the police to take legal steps to restore possession of Khan's property. The court did not agree to issue any arrest warrant for Choudhury. ¶10. (C) Police sources confirmed to us that no arrest warrant has been filed for Choudhury. According to the Deputy Police Commissioner for Dhaka South, there has been a long-standing property dispute between Choudhury and Khan. He stated that several years ago Choudhury seized the property by force from Khan, using documentation that Khan said was fraudulent. GOB Assurances -------------- ¶11. (C) On October 10, Charge telephoned Home Minister of State Babar, who is in Saudi Arabia, to raise Chowdhury's situation. Babar acknowledged our points and said he had already spoken to his staff about assisting Chowdhury. He said that he was committed to providing security for Choudhury, but that the attack on October 5 was a property rather than political dispute. Babar said he had ordered undercover police officers to safeguard Chowdhury's residence. He recounted actions he has personally taken over the past two years first to improve Chowdhury's incarceration conditions and then to protect him once he was released. "What will he do when I leave office in a few days?," Babar asked rhetorically. ¶12. (C) Charge reiterated our points on the margins of a subsequent meeting with Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin. Hemayetuddin telephoned Home Secretary Raj Hussain, and then assured us the GOB was committed to taking all measures to protect Chowdhury. He followed up with a telephone call to Charge to reaffirm that the Home Ministry had assured him of Chowdhury's safety and well-being. Next Steps -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Choudhury has informed us that his sedition trial is scheduled to start on October 12. However, his attorney told us that this would just be a "framing hearing" on the charges and would not be lengthy. An Embassy observer will monitor the court session. Note -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Choudhury was first arrested in November 2003 at Zia International Airport on passport and sedition charges, following his attempt to fly to Israel to attend a conference where he allegedly intended to "defame" Bangladesh by depicting it as an extremist nation. He was imprisoned for 15 months and allegedly tortured before authorities agreed to release him on bail. The GOB had indicated to us that it is reluctant to prosecute the case (and will not do so very robustly),so news that the trial might be moving forward came as a surprise. PASI