Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DHAKA952
2007-06-12 08:34:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Dhaka
Cable title:  

FOUR MONTHS INTO STATE OF EMERGENCY, BANGLADESH'S

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PHUM BG 
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VZCZCXRO2393
RR RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #0952/01 1630834
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 120834Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4282
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9950
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1689
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 9127
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7960
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0700
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0334
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1724
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0785
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000952 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM BG
SUBJECT: FOUR MONTHS INTO STATE OF EMERGENCY, BANGLADESH'S
HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD STILL A MIXED BAG

REF: A. DHAKA 894

B. DHAKA 909

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000952

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM BG
SUBJECT: FOUR MONTHS INTO STATE OF EMERGENCY, BANGLADESH'S
HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD STILL A MIXED BAG

REF: A. DHAKA 894

B. DHAKA 909

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


1. (C) SUMMARY. As Bangladesh passes the four-month
anniversary of its state of emergency, the human rights
record is mixed. According to local NGOs, deaths caused by
law enforcement officials, including "crossfire" killings and
deaths in custody, have gone down. While there have been many
allegations of mass arrests, the actual number of people in
custody is only estimated at 15 percent higher than at the
end of 2006 (i.e., before the state of emergency). Contrary
to some press reports, many of those arrested were only
picked up on minor offenses, and were released almost
immediately. One major problem is that the watchdog role
played by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
journalists has been hobbled by state of emergency
restrictions on civil liberties. As a result, it has been
left to the international community to press the government
and the military to address reports of secret detentions,
torture in custody, and harassment of civil society. END
SUMMARY.

DEATHS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS DOWN
========================================


2. (C) The well-respected local human rights organization
Odhikar estimates that there have been, on average, 19 deaths
by law enforcement officials per month from January to May, a
drop from the nearly 30 deaths per month in 2006. The local
United Nations office has corroborated these findings in its
own recent human rights review. Contrary to some press
reports, there is no evidence of "hundreds" being killed
since the state of emergency took effect.


3. (SBU) The average monthly number of "crossfire" killings,
a euphemism for extrajudicial killings, also dropped in the
first five months of 2007, though the number appears to be
climbing back to 2006 levels. Like in 2006, most of these
"crossfires" were by the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB),with the rest being done by the police and military.


4. (SBU) The average monthly number of deaths in law

enforcement custody has also gone down from almost 20 per
month in 2006 to just under 10 per month in the first five
months of 2007. After several widely publicized deaths in
March, the number of custodial deaths dropped to zero in
April, only to start climbing again in May.

PRISON POPULATION UP 15 PERCENT
===============================


5. (C) News reports indicate that nearly 200,000 people have
been arrested since the declaration of a state of emergency
on January 11. Most of those arrested appear to have been
picked up on prior charges or for petty crimes, and have been
released after only brief detentions. According to the
Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Shamsul Haider Chowdhury,
since the declaration of the state of emergency the prison
population in Bangladesh has risen from 72,000 to 83,000, a
15 percent increase. NGOs that monitor prisons, such as the
Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights
(BSEHR),have corroborated this finding through their own
investigations. It is also consistent with what Home
Secretary Abdul Karim has told us.

SIPDIS


6. (SBU) Bangladesh only has a prison capacity of 27,000, and
even before the state of emergency its system was nearly 200
percent over its limit. Chowdhury admits that as many as
four people are sleeping in a 36 square foot cell, and that
prisoners are sleeping in shifts.


7. (C) In addition to those officially arrested, there are
numerous reports of people being held secretly by joint
forces made up of the military, police, and RAB. On May 29,
Giasuddin Mamun, a close business associate of former Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique, claimed in court that he
had been held secretly for two months, during which time he
was interrogated and threatened with a "crossfire" execution.
(Ref A) The exact number of those held in secret custody is

DHAKA 00000952 002 OF 003


unknown, and the government and military do not admit to
holding people secretly.

INTIMIDATION OF NGO'S, JOURNALISTS
=================================


8. (C) Odhikar reports being threatened by the military for
investigating cases of custodial death. On May 3, Naval
Intelligence summoned Odhikar Acting Director ASM Nasiruddin
Elan to Naval Headquarters. Earlier, at the Embassy's
urging, Odhikar had contacted the Navy asking for comment on
a custodial death allegedly linked to Navy officers in
Bagherat. According to Odhikar, when Elan came to the Naval
Headquarters, he was interrogated for five hours, and accused
of being an American and Indian spy. The interrogators also
threatened his family, adding there would be reprisals and
arrests if Odhikar reported the interrogation. Earlier,
during its investigation into the Bagherat death, Odhikar
reported that its chief investigator was threatened with a
"crossfire" by the local Navy camp commander.


9. (C) Journalists have also come under pressure. According
to numerous media sources, editors from most major newspapers
have been assigned DGFI "handlers" who contact them
frequently to discuss their coverage. During April, the
English-language Daily Star came under the scrutiny of the
Directorate General-Forces Intelligence (DGFI) because of an
alleged "anti-state" article published in their monthly
magazine insert. According to Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam,
DGFI forced him to recall the magazine and pulp it. Then, in
early May, the author of the piece, Tasneem Khalil, was taken
from his home for interrogation. He was released, beaten and
scared, 36 hours later. Finally, after Embassy intervention
and three weeks of negotiations, his passport was returned
and he was granted permission to leave the country. (NOTE:
Khalil is now in Sweden.) (Ref B)

MIXED RESPONSE FROM GOVERNMENT, MILITARY
========================================


10. (C) We have raised specific incidents with the government
and the military, with mixed results. The Chief Adviser
agreed in May to set up a special inquiry into the death of
Choilesh Ritchil, an indigenous activist who was killed,
allegedly by the army, in mid-March. The military has also
agreed on several occasions to investigate allegations of
human rights abuses by military personnel. While there is no
indication of corrective action in any of the high profile
cases, privately a military official told DATT that 64
officers and enlisted men have been punished since January 11
for crimes ranging from deaths in custody to corruption.
However, the number of law enforcement-caused deaths rose
sharply again in May after having plummeted in April,
indicating that the effect of international pressure is
limited.


11. (SBU) The government has not been uniformly receptive to
international interventions and has generally done a poor job
of explaining its human rights record to the public. In
response to a question about recent human rights abuses in
Bangladesh, Law Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein was quoted in
a Wall Street Journal piece as saying he was "fed up" with
Westerners raising human rights cases with him. "Bangladesh
is going through a huge crisis," he said. "Is this a time to
discuss individual cases? Individuals are not important."

COMMENT: A MIXED BAG
====================


12. (C) The human rights situation in Bangladesh four months
after the state of emergency declaration presents a mixed
bag. On the one hand, although the number of law
enforcement-related deaths is down, this remains a
significant problem. Also, when the international community
has raised specific cases with the government, there has
usually been some effort to respond, Hosein's churlish
statement notwithstanding. The government and the military,
however, are less responsive to domestic pressure groups,
which has increased the importance of international scrutiny
of human rights.


DHAKA 00000952 003 OF 003



13. (C) Post continues to monitor the human rights situation
closely, and will continue to raise issues of concern with
the appropriate government officials.
BUTENIS