Amar Desh editor's persecutionlinked to BDR mutiny report
M. Shahidul Islam in Toronto
The skyline over the perched Toronto pavements looked gloomy, cloud-laden and teary on June 13, matching perfectly the inner sentiments of over 16 retired officers of Bangladesh Armed Forces who embarked upon a 40- km-long marathon race in remembrance of their fallen comrades massacred during the grisly BDR rebellion of February 25-26, 2009.
Among the participants were community leaders, media personalities, an emotive student, a former two star General, one Colonel, three Lt. Colonels, an air force pilot and a hardy but grief-stricken bunch of Majors and Captains, all for a cause too close to their hearts.The race was proposed and run full course, uninterrupted, by retired Major Mohiuddin Ahmed who lost eight of his buddies during the Peelkhana carnage, most of them of the rank of Colonel. "This is what I can do to show respect to their memories and to seek justice," the enduring Major said during a pre-race press conference.
Elusive justice
But that insatiable quest for justice is becoming ever elusive due to the manner in which the truth relating to the Peelkhana massacre is being subdued, distorted and disconnected to spare the masterminds and the planners of a crime that has dwarfed in barbarity many other historic genocides of our time. And, that is what is becoming ever painful to members of the Bangladesh armed forces, serving and retired, who had witnessed with dismay yet another deferral on May 19, for the 13th time, of the finalization of the CID report without which charges can not be prepared against the mutineers while the political nexus of the carnage remains as yet largely un-explored and un-touched.
Elusive justice
But that insatiable quest for justice is becoming ever elusive due to the manner in which the truth relating to the Peelkhana massacre is being subdued, distorted and disconnected to spare the masterminds and the planners of a crime that has dwarfed in barbarity many other historic genocides of our time. And, that is what is becoming ever painful to members of the Bangladesh armed forces, serving and retired, who had witnessed with dismay yet another deferral on May 19, for the 13th time, of the finalization of the CID report without which charges can not be prepared against the mutineers while the political nexus of the carnage remains as yet largely un-explored and un-touched.
To make such pain more unbearable, government has not as yet disposed off conclusively the allegations brought against many other serving officers for an alleged attack on a ruling party MP, following which arrests were made in November 2009 of six serving officers. The arrestees include Major Helal (BDR HQ), four captains of army's elite special force (Captain Rajib, Captain Reja, Captain Fuad and Captain Rouf) and another serving Captain from the RAB.
Repressions having no preventive or remedial merits, the closure of Daily Amar Desh and the arrest on June 1 of its acting editor, Mahmudur Rahman, has further galvanized international outcry for justice, prompting many foreign media outlets to treat conjunctively the incident of Amar Desh's closure, arrest of its editor, and the publication of hitherto undisclosed contents of the BDR mutiny investigation report.
Repressions having no preventive or remedial merits, the closure of Daily Amar Desh and the arrest on June 1 of its acting editor, Mahmudur Rahman, has further galvanized international outcry for justice, prompting many foreign media outlets to treat conjunctively the incident of Amar Desh's closure, arrest of its editor, and the publication of hitherto undisclosed contents of the BDR mutiny investigation report.
Meanwhile, in the characteristic Russian roulette gaming between the country's executive and the judiciary, High Court granted, nine days later (June 10), a stay of three months on the government's order stopping publication of the newspaper. That order too was set aside on June 15 upon filing of a judicial review/appeal petition by prosecution and the paper ceased publication once again.Sources say, Mr. Rahman is being shoved and shuffled between various intelligence outfits and he has been exposed to 'nudity beyond will' and other vulgarism to extract confessions. He is also being subjected to sleep and food deprivation almost routinely. His next of kin are even unaware of his exact whereabouts.
Global reaction
The onslaught on Amar Desh and its editor has tarnished whatever vestige of democratic credential the AL-led regime claimed to have held onto. On June 3, UK and the USA expressed concerns at the closure of Amar Desh and arrest of its acting editor. "We are very concerned at the recent closure of the media outlets (implying closure of other media too). This raises questions of media freedom in Bangladesh, which is vital for a functional and sustainable democracy," a spokesperson of Dhaka's British High Commission said.
In another statement, a US embassy spokesman expressed similar concerns. "The United States is committed to freedom of the press and freedom of expression as internationally recognized rights and foundations of democracy," the US statement read.
Global reaction
The onslaught on Amar Desh and its editor has tarnished whatever vestige of democratic credential the AL-led regime claimed to have held onto. On June 3, UK and the USA expressed concerns at the closure of Amar Desh and arrest of its acting editor. "We are very concerned at the recent closure of the media outlets (implying closure of other media too). This raises questions of media freedom in Bangladesh, which is vital for a functional and sustainable democracy," a spokesperson of Dhaka's British High Commission said.
In another statement, a US embassy spokesman expressed similar concerns. "The United States is committed to freedom of the press and freedom of expression as internationally recognized rights and foundations of democracy," the US statement read.
At the same time, a global chorus of protest continued, only to paint the image of the AL-led regime as an instrument of authoritarian repressions. The most prominent international media watchdog, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, said in a recent statement that "the Awami League government (of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina) is clearly unable to tolerate criticism from opposition newspaper". The watchdog added, "The night-time raid by armed police on the daily's headquarters and the use of force to arrest editor Mahmudur Rahman are unworthy of a government that claims to respect the rule of law."
The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) expressed serious concerns and urged upon Bangladesh PM to refrain from using administrative sanctions to limit press freedom. "We are concerned that the Bangladeshi government is using administrative sanctions to limit the newspaper's ability to criticize its policies," said IPI Director David Dadge. Dadge urged PM Sheikh Hasina to live up to her promises and ensure that journalists are allowed to distribute information and opinions free of harassment or intimidation.
A senior executive of the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) went few steps further and demanded a full explanation from the government. "Using 200 police to shut down a newspaper in the middle of the night over alleged publication irregularities is excessive and suggests the government is trying to suppress a critical media outlet. There needs to be a full explanation of the motives behind such a drastic move," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.
Meanwhile, many international print and electronic media outlets have carried extensive coverage on the Amar Desh incident and disparaged strongly the arrest of Mahmudur Rahman. One web portal headlined its opinion as: "Ghost of mutiny haunts Bangladesh media." The portal identified the publication of undisclosed mutiny investigation report as the main reason for the persecutions being unleashed against Mr. Rahman.The marathon runners in Toronto, however, were treated with a rare dose of optimism when High Commissioner Maj. Gen. (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar assured them of 're-investigation and re-trial' of BDR rebellion crime, if needed.
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