William Gomes: Bangladeshi Human Rights Activist

I am William Gomes a Human rights activist and a freelance journalist from Bangladesh. I do used to run a small human rights organization called “Christian Development Alternative (CDA). I am also a converted Christian. I was harassed by police many times.  we do work with our small effort to protect the rights of the minorities specially.

Today 8th July 2009 ,two police official form special Branch of police under the City SB came to my house around 6 o clock in the evening. One police official said, who is William Nicholas Gomes. They said we are looking for you. We are from city SB of police. Our senior official wants to talk to you. He ringed from his cell and gave me the
mobile phone, from other side a man, asked me what you was doing in India in February. Come to my office tomorrow, my high officials wants to know more.

I said to him that I will go to prime minister’s office tomorrow early in the morning and then I will go to UNDP local office for pre fixed meeting. Than the man from the other side to go to his office in Bialy road in Saturday.The man was the Additional Sp of city SB. I will go to his office on Saturday. I will give you update. What is going on.
For last two years, I have been harassed by police only for my religious identity and works for minorities.

The name and the celll number of the police officials came to my house:

1. Mohammed Abul Kaher
Sub Inspector

2. SM saha Alam
Sub Inspector of City SB

I am drawing your urgent attention on the issue of bias manner of a police officer SI Mr. Shariful on case of investigation of a case (case number 33) filed in Sutrapur police station dated on  11-05-09 under the crpc section  380.

On this case the petitioner Adv.Rabindra Ghosh claimed that some unknown people have stole a video camera from ISCKON temple Swamibag . And the petitioner allegedly involved me on the incident; the fact is I am not aware of said camera at all. More than that the petitioner provoked the Sebait and Executor of Swamibag Ashram Shri Jasada Nandan Acharjee to witness against me that “He saw that I took the camera”. Mr. Acharjee has told the fact to Investigative officer SI Shariful. The IO is not pointing the statement in note.

I am shocked at this false case. I am felling really helpless. As you are human rights
defender I need your help, I have protested the false attempt to tie me with the case to the DC wari. The Dc Wari seems very helpful.

I am always committed to fight the Terrorism for my position with the allies of  in different countries and recently, I had sit with Mr. Ahmad Karim Nawabi, the Afghan ambassador to Bangladesh and share my concern about fighting the growing the

Islamic Terrorism and on regular basis I am sharing all the available information in fighting the Islamic terrorism in the south Asia to the international community. I have penned different articles in different international media in focusing the problem and possibilities in Bangladesh.

As PRP is on the way to transform police force to Police Service, I hope that you will take it note that the Investigative should take proper note that I am being harassed by the ill motive of Adv.Rabindra Ghosh. I myself protested on some case where the Advocate showed a normal eloped case to a forced conversion to Islam. The case was also submitted to UN.  Through my mail I had also request PRP to investigate on the aggressive attitude towards the police officials.

I also want to request to make it sure the police should make it sure, why Adv.Rabindra had provoked Shri Jasad Nandan Acharjee to witness against me strongly. The irresponsible attitude of police officer like SI Shariful is hampering my attention in fighting the growing Islamic terrorism.

As journalist and human rights activist I just went to find out the issues of forced conversion .But I am in problem for the irresponsible attitude of the police officer of Bangladesh police. I also request to the international community to write to the government to insure a   free and fare investigation.

Christian Science Monitor raises a very important question regarding the prevalence of terrorism in Bangladesh. They link to a series of reports, which show a violent surge of terrorism. This is a really dangerous news not just for minorities, who are the first targets of Muslim terrorism but also the whole concept of democracy itself. The recent election gained some new enthusiasm about the future of Bangladesh but the BDR mutiny and vibrant new evidence of increasing extremism and fascism put the future of this country into jeoperdy.

Osama bin Laden may be laying low in Pakistan. But many of South Asia’s terrorists have a new hideout: Bangladesh.

In recent days, Bangladeshi police have been hot on the trail of disturbing developments: they’ve uncovered a plot that used Bangladesh to transit thousands of weapons to an Indian separatist group, and followed up by arresting key members of that group in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, reports The Times of India.

Around the same time, police arrested a fugitive hit man working for Daud Ibrahim, one of South Asia’s most notorious terrorists. While in custody, the assassin divulged that 150 of Mr. Ibrahim’s operatives are stationed in Bangladesh, according to The Daily Star, a leading English-language newspaper based in Dhaka.

Source: CSMonitor

Religious freedom takes a back seat in Pakistan. A man refusing to convert to Islam was brutally sexually abused and then killed by Islamic extremists. This is not the first time that it’s happening. Most of the atrocities against minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh go unnoticed. A few of them is only picked up by the media. Our expectation is Pakistani authority will take strong actions to make sure the rights of the minorities are protected.

Pakistani police reportedly found the body of Tariq “Litto” Mashi Ghauri — a 28-year-old university student in Sargodha, Pakistan — lying dead in a canal outside a rural village in Punjab Province on May 15. He had been raped and stabbed at least five times.

“They have sexually abuse him, torture him with a knife on his testicle and genitals,” Ghauri’s brother, 24-year-old Salman Nabil Ghauri, said. “They have tortured him very badly, and after that they have stabbed five times with a knife and killed him.”

The family believes Litto Ghauri was murdered by the brothers of his Muslim girlfriend, Shazi Cheema, after they found him in a compromising sexual position with their sister.

The Rev. Haroon Bhatti, a Christian clergyman in the village and a friend of the Ghauri family, said Cheema’s three brothers came to Litto Ghauri’s house on May 11 and gave him an ultimatum: Marry their sister and convert to Islam.

Source

Human Rights in Bangladesh

Humanize the Human Rights are the people’s demand of the time in Bangladesh. Some time in many issues we have experienced the raising voice against the factual human rights violations. Same time we do experienced the political partisanship and demoralization of human rights groups as well as individual Human Rights defenders. As a example human rights organizations are divided in the name and favor of politics, religion and donor orientated agenda and propaganda. Recently in the partition in the filed of Human Rights was focused in the argument on the issue of election monitoring of Bangladesh Ninth Parliamentary Elections. The two main political parties gave objection to the election commission objecting the partisanship of the selected NGO’s in the 34 members Election Working Group donated by international donor agencies . 

The major print and electronic media of Bangladesh has covered the facts widely. The said fact obviously brings in light the facts about the division and demoralization based on politics among the human rights group in Bangladesh. The democratic frame was stumbled by the demoralization of Human rights in Bangladesh.

I don’t oppose the practice of politics of individual or community. I do not wish the rule of military regime or dictatorship indeed. In the same time I do also don’t want to see the Human Rights of the peoples would be delimited and the rights of the people will be violated for the sake of political opinion or practice by the Human Rights instruments.  

The other division is very vocal and that creates a vital crucial division in the filed of Human Rights and also a great hindrance in the way to promote communal harmony and equip Human rights. There area certain Human Rights groups those who are working namely protecting the Human Rights of the peoples. But they only armed with hearted slogan in mind for others to protect the rights of the certain Religious groups with an ultra communal attitude.  

Among the irrational groups there are also highly inner divisions. Some are of them extensively working for the Hindus while others are highly sensitize for the Christian or others own faith .By these groups the Human Rights of the peoples are highly violated with high profile communal attitude.  

While the atheist groups are blaming the all religion in general as the root cause of all human rights violations and highly propagating to convince the people not to believe in Religion. 

Bangladesh is a poor developing country; the NGO’s mainly depends on foreign fund. The Ngo’s always tried to gain the foreign fund and the donor agency crucially enforces their propaganda related agenda with an ulterior motive. And that cause another highly diplomatic defect in the filed of Human Rights.  

 As an example the Arab based donor organizations donate the faith based Islamic fascist Ngo’s to Islamize the country. In past days Bangladesh government’s Intelligence agency like National Securities of Intelligence (NSI) and Directorate General of Intelligence (DGFI) has traced a bunch of Ngo’s who are patronizing the Islamic extremist and their Slogan for Islamization of the country. The Arab based facilitation influx the Islamic fascism and farm communal hatred that ends with a grenade attack or suicide bomb attack that’s kills thousands of innocent peoples and progressive peoples. Bangladesh’s present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, progressive British diplomat Anwar chowdhury was also among target who was targeted by the Islamic fascist to kill. 

 Any kind of division is a high hindrance in protecting the Human Rights of the people and equipping the peace and justice in the Human family. As all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, the Human rights groups or individual shouldn’t deny protecting the rights violated people of any belief or disbelief or for any political opinion indeed. It’s time to think locally but act globally to enroll the justice and peace. 

[William Gomes is an independent human rights activist, a Catholic ecumenical activist, and a political analyst. He is also the Executive Director of the Christian Development Alternative (CDA), a national organization against torture and human rights violations. He  can be contacted by email at cda.exe@gmail.com.]

There has been a recent increase in violence against Christian minorities in Bangladesh. Awami League coming to power provided lots of hopes to the minority community but it seems like that as we predicted before the elections, there has been rather an increase in violence against minority communities.

Last week, a Christian pastor’s wife has been gang raped by Muslims. Later, the culprits were pressuring the media and the law agencies of blaming the whole incidence on local Christians and Hindus. They also robbed his house and took church money. Read more here. This is a surprising development and something we were not expecting. 

Then around the beginning of January local Muslims threatened to kill a Christian leader if he did not stop preaching God. Read it here. Furthermore, a family had to eject thier recently converted grandparents as local Muslims threatened to kill the grandchildren. 

We are strongly condemning such a dangerous tendency pursued by extremist Muslims in Bangladesh. Please contact your local MPs and inform your support and urgency regarding this issue.