GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION INTO DEATH OF INDIGENOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000951

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BG
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION INTO DEATH OF INDIGENOUS
LEADER MAKES HEADWAY

REF: A. DHAKA 484


B. DHAKA 663

C. DHAKA 684

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis, reason para 1.4(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. The retired judge appointed by the government
to investigate the death of Garo activist Choilesh Ritchil in
Madhupur on March 18 has had Ritchil's body exhumed for
autopsy. Meanwhile, the recent wave of anti-corruption
arrests in Dhaka has netted the Chief Conservator of Forests,
one of the Garos' main protagonists. END SUMMARY.

CHOILESH'S BODY EXHUMED
=======================


2. (C) Retired Judge Rofi Uddin Ahmed ordered the exhumation
of the body of Garo activist Choilesh Ritchil on June 10.
Ritchil was allegedly killed by army soldiers in Madhupur on
March 18. In mid-May, Chief Caretaker Adviser Fakhruddin
Ahmed appointed Judge Ahmed to investigate Ritchil's death.
Ritchil's body was exhumed in the presence of his family,
local government officials and police and taken to Mymensingh
Medical College Hospital for autopsy.


3. (C) Ritchil's body had been returned to his family on
March 19. Despite efforts by police to prevent people from
photographing the body before the funeral, numerous
clandestine shots have circulated showing clear signs of
torture. This corroborated the account of Ritchil's death
told by Pratap Sangma, a relative held with Ritchil who
survived his own beating. Police told the Ambassador during
a visit to Madhupur on April 18 that the post-mortem report
on Ritchil was "missing," and without it they could not start
an investigation. The new autopsy was greeted by Garo
activists as a sign the logjam on investigating Ritchil's
death may finally be breaking.

CASE HAS LINKS TO CONFLICT WITH FORESTRY OFFICIALS
============================================= =====


4. (C) According to Father Eugene Homrich, an American priest
who has headed the Jalchhatra mission in Madhupur for over
forty years, Ritchil's death was directly related to
corruption in the Forestry Department which oversees the
Madhupur Forest region where most Garos reside. Local
Forestry Department officials have been illegally logging the
forest for years, leading to mass deforestation. To cover up
the logging, the local officials blamed the Garo population
and the Jalchhatra mission, filing more than 8,000 charges.
"They filed charges against everyone, even an 18-month old
baby," Homrich told us. Catholic missionaries working with
indigenous peoples in other parts of the country, such as the
northeast, have had similar charges filed against them and
run the risk of arrest.


5. (C) The former head of the local army camp, Major Toufiq
Elahi, was allegedly a classmate of the local head of the
Forestry Department, Jahurul Huq. Homrich and Garo activists
told us they were informed by local government officials Huq
convinced Major Elahi, who had taken over certain
law-and-order functions during the state of emergency, to get
involved in the case and eliminate Ritchil, who was an
outspoken advocate against the department and for Garo
rights. The human rights organization Odhikar, which
conducted an independent investigation of Ritchil's death,
confirmed the link between Elahi and the head of the Forestry
Department, and cited numerous witnesses who linked Ritchil's
death to this issue.

ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE NETS FORESTRY HEAD
========================================


6. (C) Meanwhile, on May 28 Chief Conservator of Forests
Osman Gani was arrested at his home in Dhaka. Press reported
that over ten million taka (almost $150,000) was found hidden
throughout his house, including stuffed inside pillows and
tucked into a rice drum in the kitchen. Joint law enforcement
forces later recovered another 30 million taka ($450,000).
Joint forces are also reportedly investigating other Forestry
Department officials as well for misappropriation of funds.
Father Homrich, who had met Gani just two weeks before his
arrest, welcomed the news and was hopeful it would lead to
improvement of the tense situation in the area.


7. (SBU) Post has raised this issue repeatedly with the
government, as have other diplomatic missions, and we
continue to monitor the situation closely.

DHAKA 00000951 002 OF 002



COMMENT: WELCOME FIRST STEPS
============================


8. (C) The exhumation is the first tangible evidence that the
government is taking Ritchil's death seriously. The case has
focused an international spotlight on the situation in
Bangladesh and the appointment of an investigator with some
teeth is a welcomed step. In addition, after years of
conflict with local officials, the indigenous communities --
most of which depend on forests for their livelihood -- stand
to benefit if the Forestry Department can be cleaned up as
part of the government's anti-corruption drive. However, the
real test of the government's commitment to justice in the
Ritchil case will be if they file charges against the
perpetrators of his torture and murder.
BUTENIS