Jamaat Activist Killed in Sylhet, Media gives little attention

The death of the President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh yesterday on the 20th of March covered all headlines. A nation came to a standstill to express its grief. Zillur Rahman was a well loved personality besides being the President and the reaction from all walks of life confirmed that. However, this attention came at a price. A price of conscience.

Elsewhere in Sylhet, a gross violation of human rights occurred. A man lost his life. The media payed their quota of lip service and their job was done. None of government controlled or government sympathetic media cared to explain the circumstances of his death or the nature of the violation of rights in the incident. Golam Rabbani, a Jamaat activist, was shot in the head when police fired upon a procession to 'disperse' it. The procession was in support of a strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami, in Sylhet division demanding release of the party’s city unit ameer Advocate Ehsan Mahbub Jubayer who was arrested last Sunday. Looking at the wound, its clear that no simple rubber bullet could have penetrated the skull. It was a clear injury propagated by a close range gunshot. So much for the myth of harmless tear gas and rubber bullets that police officials in Bangladesh regularly dissipate. Fifteen others, including five policemen, were injured in the clashes as police fired at the procession brought out by Jamaat-Shibir in support of hartal in Biswanath upazila on Wednesday morning.

The martyred, Golam Rabbani, 25, was an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami and son of Muhibur Rahman Nizam of Pakhisiri village of the upazila.

Police say that they fired into the procession in order to prevent the Jamaat-Shibir activists from attacking a rural electric station. They said that the activists had gathered together to attack the Bishwanath rural electric station and were in fact throwing rocks at it with the intention to vandalize the establishment. This view, however, was negated by AGM Mohammad Omar Farooq, the zonal officer of the station, who said that the station was closed during the clashes and was not subject to any attack.

Two bullet ridden activists including Golam Rabbani were rushed to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) where doctors pronounced Rabbani dead.

The namaaj-e-janaza of martyred Golam Rabbani was held at Sylhet today where thousands attended his funeral. Jamaat-e-Islami has called for a strike in Sylhet on Sunday to protest such gross violations of human rights and demand that the responsible police officials be brought to justice within 48 hours.

Its an ethical obligation of the media to be forerunners in denouncing acts of oppression by the state. In any free society, the coveted role of the media is to be a champion of human rights, not defender of government abuses. Unfortunately, in the above case, most media in Bangladesh have championed the latter.  

  

Zillur Rahman passes away: Morale of a life story

History will remember the 20th of March 2013. It will remember so for the fact that on this day, Mohammed Zillur Rahman, the President of Bangladesh passed away. He breathed his last at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for critical lung infection since March 10th, 2013. The country lost a veteran leader who could have played a leading role in redeeming the country from the mess it has turned into recently. I say this looking back at his glittering political career which saw him serve the country selflessly through dedicating his life to representing the people at different positions of power. As a simple citizen of this great nation, I ask the Almighty to grant  him forgiveness and bestow upon him the Jannah. 

To my brethren in Bangladesh and beyond I have a simple request. Look at his life, take him as an example in his successes and please, please learn from his mistakes. Our dear president was a most notable example of a man who was given power to do what was right for the country and its people. He  in his capacity as a representative of the people fought for democracy at various points in his career and was famous for holding the Awami League together through the dark days of the army backed interim government led by Dr. Fakhruddin through 2007-2008. In his position as president, he was widely perceived as an icon for political decency with a firm commitment. He was the voice that even the opposition listened to in times of political bickering which threatened the flow of democracy in the country. 

However, just like any other human being of flesh and blood, he had his very own flaws which characterized him and set him as an example from which a generation could learn. Apart from his love for the country, his loyalty to his party was both his greatest asset and greatest flaw. This love allowed him to hold the party together through the crisis of the caretaker government and remain active in politics despite the devastating death of his wife, Ivy Rahman, in a grenade attack on a rally at Dhaka on August 21, 2004. This love, however also induced in him a tendency to overlook the flaws in the decisions of his party, rendering him a mere tool for their implementation. When the party demanded of him anything, he was only too happy to oblige, unquestionably and obediently. Only such unrequited love can explain the number of death sentence pardons that were granted during his rule. As many as 21 death row convicts were pardoned in Bangladesh by the President in about four years since the Awami League assumed power in 2009. Previously, the number was only four during the entire period between independence in 1971 and 2009. The list of 21 pardoned by the Awami League government included HM Biplob, who was handed death sentence for killing Laxmipur BNP leader Nurul Islam. Biplob, who is the son of Laxmipur's Awami League leader Abu Taher, was later pardoned a second time in two more murder cases.  The incident drew widespread criticisms from different sections of the society, including rights groups, legal experts and the media. 

It is also notable that Zillur Rahman maintained a quiet profile on the recent political violence in Bangladesh where more than 150 people lost their lives. Although undesirable, his silence spoke volumes and was perhaps attributable to the limited powers a president holds according to the constitution of this country. Perhaps the political scene would have been that of a different one had he placed himself as a rallying point to which the country could have turned towards to resolve its differences. However, it is important to note that his flaws, though understandable, should not be used to judge the character of a man who selflessly served his nation till the day of his death at the age of 84. 

Man has been called as the 'noblest of creation' in the Holy Quran due to his ability to think, adjudge and consequently follow the best course of action. Throughout this journey, examples abound as to the consequences of right and wrong decisions. Zillur Rahman was such an example. What we do with this knowledge may well decide the future of this country and its people.  

Witness against Nizami doesn’t know Liberation date of Bangladesh!

The third prosecution witness gave his deposition against Mawlana Matiur Rahman Nizami on crimes against humanity during 1971.

On Tuesday, the third prosecution witness Rustam Ali gave his deposition at ICT-1 which was presided over by a panel of 3 members led by Judge ATM Fazle Kabir. Following that, the cross-examination of the witness was left unfinished and adjourned until the 31^st of March.

At the beginning of his deposition, the witness said, “My name is Rustam Ali. My present age is 67 years. In 1971, I was a 4^th grade employee (security guard) of Physical Training College”

It is notable that on November 13, Rustam Ali also gave testimony against Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mujahid.

In his statement, he said,” Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mujahid and Golam Azam used to come to the Mohammadpur Physical Training college in Army pickups since this institution was the training HQ of Razakars, Al Badr, Al Shams forces.”

He said that,” After the Physical Training College at Mohammadpur turned into the training HQ of Razakars, Al Badr and Al Shams forces, I one day came to the college gate on my way to the bazaar. There I saw Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mujahid and Golam Azam coming to the training centre in Army pickups.”

Rustam said, “I heard that they were leaders of Razakar and Al Badr. There they talked for one to one and a half hours. That was the day I first saw them. I have heard that they came to this training camp more than once later.”

He said,” Ten days before independence, the Pakistani army, Al Badr and Razakars captured and brought at least 200-250 individuals including some intellectuals, freedom fighters, artists and Bengali women. They were tortured relentlessly by being hanged from the staircase and their arms and feet were broken. Subsequently they were taken to the dining room downstairs and killed. Their dead bodies were then sent to Rayerbazaar and thrown into a mass graveyard there.” 

Rustam Ali further said, “On the day after independence, 9 decapitated heads were extracted from  the camp by freedom fighters who gave them to Bicchu Jalal. Also eyes of 100-150 people were found from Rahim Bepari canal and the brickfield.”

The witness said, “2 to 3 months before the beginning of the Liberation war, the Pakistani army used to bring Bengali women to the camp and rape them. Many were tortured after being held and then killed.”

At the end of the testament of the prosecution witness, he was cross-examined by Advocate Tariqul Islam, junior lawyer of Mawlana Matiur Rahman Nizami. The witness was asked just one question in the cross-examination. When asked about the date of the independence of the country, the witness replied, “I don’t know”.  The testament of the witness was received by prosecutor Mir Iqbal Hossain.

16 charges of crimes against humanity were pressed in the war crimes case against Mawlana Matiur Rahman Nizami on the 28^th of May. Clear charges against him include that of murder, loot, arson, rape, agitation, collaboration and planning attacks on intellectuals and their killing. 

These charges were formally accepted by the tribunal on the 9^th of January. It is notable that Matiur Rahman Nizami was arrested on the 29^th of June 2010 on related charges of hurting religious sentiment of Muslims and was shown arrested at the tribunal on the 2^nd of August.

Source: http://www.rtnn.net//newsdetail/detail/1/1/60717#.UUlWAleq_IV