Human Rights Watch has demanded that the Bangladeshi government should publicly explain what efforts have been made to investigate the abduction, torture, and killing of labour rights activist Aminul Islam two years ago, including alleged links to state officials.
The New York-based rights body issued a statement in this regard on Tuesday.
Aminul, 39, was a trade union organiser with the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), which supports the rights of factory workers in the garment and seafood industries.
He disappeared on April 4, 2012. His body was discovered two days later, almost 100 kilometers from where he was last seen, and showed signs of torture under circumstances that raise concerns of involvement by Bangladeshi security forces.
While police have filed charges against a missing suspect, there have been no apparent efforts to investigate the allegations that members of Bangladeshi security forces were part of the conspiracy to kill the labour activist, says the statement.
HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said: “After two years and three investigations, neither his family nor the public know the truth about what happened to Aminul Islam.
“All significant leads need to be pursued to solve the killing of this labor leader, including allegations of the involvement of the security forces,” he added.
Given Bangladesh’s long history of impunity in its security forces, the Bangladeshi authorities should establish an independent body to lead the investigation into his death, the statement reads.
In November last year, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed charges of murder against a former garment worker, Mustafizur Rahman. His whereabouts have been unknown since Aminul’s disappearance.
A CID officer contacted by the HRW said he would not discuss the case as the trial was pending. No date has been set for the trial. The HRW believes that trials in absentia cast doubt on the credibility of the process itself by compromising the ability of an accused to exercise his or her rights under article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty that binds Bangladesh.
The potentially compromised rights include the right to be present during the trial, the right to defend oneself through counsel of the person’s choice, and the right to examine witnesses.
“The government should not think that a trial in absentia will bring closure to this case,” Adams said.
Police photographs of Aminul’s body indicated signs of torture. In his work for the BCWS, he often came into conflict with garment factory managers. He reported receiving frequent threats and was under surveillance.
In 2010, the government revoked the registration of BCWS. The same year, National Security Intelligence personnel arbitrarily arrested and tortured Aminul, says the HRW statement.
In the aftermath of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in April last year, which killed more than 1,135 garment workers, and subsequent international pressure to reform labour conditions, Bangladesh allowed the BCWS to function once again. All but one case has now been dropped against it.
“We await the arrest and trial of Mustafizur Rahman with interest, but it will in itself not be enough,” Adams said. “Until the Bangladeshi authorities institute a credible, independent, and transparent investigation to look into [Aminul] Islam’s death, a dark cloud will hang over the Bangladesh garment industry.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune
