[Attachment(s) from Jahangir Alam Akash included below]
Hamburger Foundation
—————— for Politcally Persecuted
President: Ole von Beust Executive Manager:
Dr. Klaus von Dohnanyi Secretary General: Martina Bäurle
Hamburg, 9th June 2009
Jahangir Alam Akash
New guest of the Hamburg Foundation for politically persecuted
Over the past 20 years, journalist and author Jahangir Alam Akash (35), has been writing against corruption and the abuse of power in his home country Bangladesh as well as in Rajshahi, a border town neighboring India. He has been working for the „Daily Sangbad", a nationwide distributed Bangladeshi newspaper, as well as the Bengali language service of Deutsche Welle. In addition, Akash is former Secretary General of Rajshahi Union of Journalists (RUJ), as well as was spokesman of both the „Task Force against Torture" and the Bangladesh Institute for Human Rights (BIHR). Because of his relentless and fearless commitment he has long been targeted and actively threatened by his own government as well as Islamic groups.
In May, 2007, Jahangir Alam Akash, filmed the unwarranted attack of a civilian and his family by members of a military elite unit. This document was transmitted by the sole and only independent Bangladeshi TV-Station, as part of an investigative report on extrajudicial executions, human rights violations, corruption, dubious military operations, terrorism and torture perpetrated by the « Elite Force Rapid Reaction Battalion (RAB-5 Rajshahi). The TV-station has since been shut down. By transmitting this report Jahangir Alam Akash had made RAB-5 Rajshahi his sworn enemy.
Following the transmission of his investigative report, Jahangir Alam Akash was interrogated several times. In October, 2007, he was arrested and kept in jail for 28 days under false accusations. During this time, his captors tied his hands together and hanged him for hours at his arms from the ceiling, while at the same time beating him senselessly. Seriously injured and unable to move his feet, he was finally admitted to hospital. After his release from detention he publicly named his torturers as Army Major Mr. Humayun Kabir, Commander of the Crime Prevention Company of RAB-5 Rajshahi and RAB Army Major Rashidul Hasan.
Even after his release Akash continued to be threatened. The existing Bangladeshi law was his sole instrument against summons by the police and unfounded accusations. In March, 2008, Amnesty International recognized Jahangir Alam Akash as „threatened critic". Consequently, he became a case for AI's „urgent action"list. Unimpressed by the consequences he was threatened with he published 4 books over the past 10 months: « Extrajudicial killings and Revenge » (2009), « Militant Godfathers and other Issues » (2009) and « 15 hours in total darkness » (2008) and "From Udichi to Pilkhana" (2009) (regarding counter terrorism and militancy)
Immediately after his arrival in Hamburg/Germany, Jahangir Alam Akash participated at the annual conference of Amnesty International in Saarbruecken as well as the Global Conference in Bonn, which was organized by Deutsche Welle.
For inquiries and further information please contact:
Mrs. Martina Baeurle, Office: +49 (40) 42 863 57 57 / Cell phone: +49 (151) 56 311 316 www.hamburger-stiftung.de
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Jahangir Alam Akash
Journalist, Writer & HR Activist (Bangladesh)
Kleiner Schäferkamp 35c
20357 Hamburg, Germany
jahangiralamakash@gmail.com
www.humanrightstoday.info
Cell: +004917644556802
Attachment(s) from Jahangir Alam Akash
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