US Congress wants the immediate release of Bangladesh journalist
Fri, 2007-02-16 03:53
Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune
Washington, D.C. 16 February (Asiantribune.com): The United States
House of Representatives took an unprecedented step in moving a
bi-partisan resolution in the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee to
force the Bangladesh regime to immediately release the jailed
journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.
The Full Committee of the House Foreign Relations will take the
following resolution for debate on Thursday, 15 February.
Most occasions, decisions of Foreign Relations Committees of both the
Senate and the House are tied up with Foreign Assistance Act of the
Congress that gives guidelines of dispatching economic assistance to
foreign countries.
Following is the full text of the resolution now before the House
Foreign Relations Committee:
"Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
Government of Bangladesh should immediately drop all pending charges
against Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.
Whereas Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi journalist who,
because of his beliefs in an interfaith dialogue between Jews and
Muslims and criticism of Islamic extremism, is on trial for sedition,
an offense punishable by death;
Whereas on November 29, 2003, Mr. Choudhury was arrested at Zia
International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on his way to board a
flight bound for Tel Aviv; Mr. Choudhury's passport was seized, along
with considerable sums of money and several personal items; on that
same day police raided Mr. Choudhury's home and newspaper offices,
seizing files, computers, and other valuables;
Whereas Mr. Choudhury was detained in Dhaka Central Jail for a
passport violation, then subsequently charged with sedition; Mr.
Choudhury suffered harsh interrogation techniques and received no
treatment for a debilitating case of glaucoma; Mr. Choudhury's
incarceration lasted 17 months without legal recourse;
Whereas on April 30, 2005, after intervention by the United States
Department of State and congressional offices, Mr. Choudhury was
released on bail;
Whereas in the subsequent months, senior members of the Bangladeshi
Government made continuous public promises that there was no substance
to Mr. Choudhury's pending charges and that all charges would be
dropped;
Whereas on September 29, 2005, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the `Freedom
to Write Award' by PEN USA;
Whereas on May 5, 2006, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the American Jewish
Committee's Moral Courage Award in absentia in Washington, D.C.; two
days prior to Mr. Choudhury receiving the award, after returning Mr.
Choudhury's passport and appearing to allow him to attend, senior
Bangladeshi Government officials issued threats to prevent him from
leaving the country;
Whereas on July 6, 2006, Mr. Choudhury's newspaper offices were bombed
by an Islamic extremist organization after Mr. Choudhury and his staff
published articles in support of the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority; Mr.
Choudhury received a tip about the bombing days before and reported it
to police, who refused to take action;
Whereas on September 18, 2006, a judge with alleged ties to an Islamic
extremist party ruled that Mr. Choudhury will stand trial for
sedition; the judge made this ruling despite the Public Prosecutor's
testimony in court days before that the government did not have
evidence and would not object to the charges being dropped;
Whereas on October 5, 2006, Mr. Choudhury was attacked at his
newspaper offices by a large group of individuals, including prominent
members of the ruling Bangladesh National Party; police protection for
Mr. Choudhury was withdrawn just days before the attack; Mr. Choudhury
was called an `agent of the Jews' and beaten badly; when Mr. Choudhury
reported the attack to the police, no action was taken;
Whereas members of the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom visited with Mr. Choudhury on their trip to
Bangladesh in February and March 2006;
Whereas on October 6, 2006, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom wrote a letter to U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A.
Boucher calling on the United States Government to strengthen the
`voices of moderation' in countries like Bangladesh where the rule of
law, democratic institutions, and respect for human rights are under
assault by violent extremists; the Commission identified Mr. Choudhury
as one of those voices that should not be silenced;
Whereas, according to the Department of State's 2005 Country Report on
Human Rights Practices in Bangladesh, `Attacks on journalists and
newspapers, and government efforts to intimidate them,
political party activists, and others, occurred frequently'; and
Whereas moderate voices in the Muslim world must be supported and
protected to advance the security of the United States and its allies:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that—
(1) the Government of Bangladesh should immediately drop all pending
charges against Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury;
(2) the Government of Bangladesh should immediately return all of Mr.
Choudhury's confiscated possessions; and
(3) the Government of Bangladesh should cease harassment and
intimidation of Mr. Choudhury, take steps to protect Mr. Choudhury,
and hold accountable those responsible for attacks against Mr.
Choudhury."
No comments:
Post a Comment