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print versionInternational Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC)
Press Statement
CHTC condemns attack on its Coordinator in Bandarban allegedly by Somo Odhikar Andolon members; calls for investigation and prosecution and punishment of culprits
Dhaka, 27 August, 2014. The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) strongly condemns the brutal and cowardly attack upon Hana Shams Ahmed, Coordinator of the Commission, and her friend, a woman academic, during a private visit by them to Shoilopropat in Bandarban in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, by 8-10 members of the so-called Somo Odhikar Andolon.
The CHTC is deeply disturbed to learn that the attack took place when Hana and her friend were being followed by four members of the Detective Branch (DB) of police who were supposedly providing security to them.
We believe that this attack and the failure of the police to take immediate action to record and investigate the attack, are in breach of their duties to ensure the rights of citizens of free movement and personal security. In our opinion, the attack was not only designed to intimidate Hana but also to send out a message to the Commission to prevent it from continuing its work to demand that the CHT Peace Accord is fully implemented.
The CHTC calls upon the Government to investigate this incident promptly and impartially and to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice (one of whom, named Shomrat, has already been identified by an eyewitness). In particular, the Government must investigate the role of the four Detective Branch policemen who followed the victims, to learn why they followed them, and then failed to protect them when attacked, and to identify whether they acted in league with the attackers.
The Facts
In the morning of August 25, 2014, Hana Shams Ahmed, Coordinator of the CHTC, arrived in Bandarban with a friend on a private visit. At about noon, when they returned to their hotel, they found two Detective Branch officers waiting there who told Hana of a rumour that the CHT Commission was in Bandarban. Hana explained that she was on a completely private visit with no connection to the Commission.
The DB officers then stated that they were “under orders†to provide security for Hana because the situation in Bandarban was unpredictable, and all four DB officers in plainclothes followed Hana and her friend wherever they went. The two women reached Shoilopropatat around 5pm, where they met another friend, Lelung Khumi, planning officer of a joint project of the Bandarban Hill District Council and the UNDP-CHTDF. At about 6 pm they set out to return to the hotel travelling in a public Mohendra taxi. The taxi stopped for a few minutes to take on two more passengers. At around 6:25 pm, on the road between Milonchori Guest House and the Shakura Resort, the vehicle was stopped by 8-10 men aged between 25 and 35. These men pulled out the two other passengers and started hitting and slapping Hana and her friend on their faces, cheeks, ears, head and the back. They were also shouting at them asking, “Why have you come here?†Lelung Khumi, who was also following on his motorcycle, shouted at the attackers and asked them to stop. He recognized one of the attackers, Shomrat, a member of the Somo Odhikar Andolon. When Shomrat saw Lelung, he asked his cohorts to stop attacking the women, and they left. The men who had identified themselves as being from the Detective Branch, who had earlier been following Hana and her friend all day, were no longer to be seen at this point.
The local police provided security outside the hotel during the night and also accompanied Hana and her friend in the bus till they reached Shatkaniya on their way back to Dhaka via Chittagong.
On behalf of the CHT Commission
Eric Avebury Co-chair of the CHT Commission
Sultana Kamal Co-chair of the CHT Commission
Elsa Stamatopoulou Co-chair of the CHT Commission
- Bangladesh: CHTC Statement 27 August 2014
- PDF version Signed Statement
SEE ALSO:
[statement Issued by Front Line Defenders on 28 Aug 2014]
Bangladesh: Physical attack against human rights defender Hana Shams Ahmed
On 25 August 2014, at approximately 6.30 pm, human rights defender Ms Hana Shams Ahmed was the victim of an attack reportedly committed by members of Somo Odhikar Andolan, a nationalist group, in the Bandarban district. Hana Shams Ahmed is the Coordinator of the International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC), which monitors the human rights situation in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a highly militarised area with a large indigenous population.
In the morning of 25 August 2014, Hana Shams Ahmed arrived in Bandarban with a friend for a private visit. At approximately 12 noon, when they returned to their hotel, they found two police officers of the Detective Branch waiting for them. The officers told the human rights defender that they had been informed about the visit of CHTC to Bandarban. Hana Shams Ahmed explained that the purpose of her visit was private and had no connection to the Commission’s activities. The officers stated they had been ordered to provide security for her because the security situation in Bandarban was unpredictable. Following the conversation, four officers in plain clothes followed the human rights defender and her friend.
Hana Shams Ahmed and her friend reached Shoilopropatat at approximately 5 pm, where they met another friend, Lelung Khumi. At approximately 6 pm, they set out to return to the hotel by public transport. At around 6.25 pm, on the road between Milonchori Guest House and the Shakura Resort, their vehicle was stopped by 8-10 men, who appeared to be between 25 and 35 years old. These men pulled two other passengers out of the vehicle and started hitting Hana Shams Ahmed and her friend on their head and back. Lelung Khumi, who was following the vehicle on a motorcycle, shouted at the attackers asking them to stop. He recognised one of the attackers, a man named Shomrat, as a member of the Somo Odhikar Andolon. When Shomrat saw Lelung, he asked his cohorts to stop the attack and they left. The police officers who had been following Hana Shams Ahmed all day appeared not to be present any longer when the attack took place.
Previously, on 5 July 2014, CHTC members were attacked in their vehicle in Rangamati district while conducting a fact-finding mission.
Front Line Defenders is concerned over the repeated attacks on CHTC members.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Bangladesh to:
Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the attack against Ms Hana Shams Ahmed, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;
Take the necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of all CHTC members;
Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bangladesh are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of undue restrictions.
