Could you please let me know the process of cancelling the membership of vinmont.
Thanks
Prokash
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; khabor@yahoogroups.com; notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com; vinnomot@yahoogroups.com; Diagnose@yahoogroups.com
From: gopalsengupta@aol.com
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:45:48 -0500
Subject: [vinnomot] Govt should explain allegations of torture in custody
The allegations of harassment and torture in custody made by the detained Dhaka University teacher, Anwar Hossain, once again indicates the military-controlled interim government's utter disregard for human rights and lack of commitment to due process and the rule of law. Anwar's allegations come hot on the heels of similar allegations by Tarique Rahman, senior joint secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and eldest son of the detained BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Tarique claimed that he was 'kept blindfolded for 18 of the 24 hours of remand on December 31… not taken to a police station from the Dhaka Central Jail but somewhere else…tied up and suspended from the ceiling and tortured physically there while being kept blindfolded.' Although Anwar has not been as detailed or vivid in his description of the torture that he has allegedly been put through, it is nonetheless terrifying to even consider that the state can so easily and brazenly harass and torture its citizens, in the process violating supreme court order as well as every human rights charter and instrument known to civilised people.
Govt should explain allegations of torture in custody
What is even more worrisome is the fact that the allegations of torture have come from the likes of Tarique Rahman and Anwar Hossain, who are well-known and high-profile citizens of this country. If the current government can harass and torture people like them in custody, we can only presume what kind of treatment is being dished out to those who are less prominent. Of course, we do not wish to imply for even one second that anyone is above the law or beyond trial and punishment. Without wishing to go into the merits of the cases that have been brought against Tarique Rahman, Anwar Hossain and the hordes of others who have been arrested for different crimes during the tenure of this government, we reiterate once again our commitment to the rule of law by stating that if anyone is found guilty of a crime by a proper court of law, he or she should be taken to task, regardless of their influence or status in society.
However, harassment and torture are major violations of a person's basic human rights and the state has absolutely no right to harass or torture its citizens, regardless of their culpability in crime or corruption. Also, we point out once again that any evidence or confessionary statements extracted from the detainees through torturing them will not hold in any proper court of law. The government should remember that an accused is innocent until proven guilty and while it has every right to interrogate the detainees to obtain necessary information, it has no right to violate their fundamental human rights in order to do so or to summarily punish them for their alleged crimes.
Hence, we urge the government once again to show its commitment to the rule of law and to uphold the basic human rights of the citizens of this country, particularly to those who have been detained by the state on allegations of one crime or another.
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