Four Dhaka University professors and 11 students who have been held since last August by Bangladesh’s military government have just been freed. Four students who are absconding have been convicted of "crimes" and sentenced to 4 2 years imprisonment.
The four professors – Dr. Anwar Hossain, Dr. Harun-or-Rashid, Dr. Sadrul Amin and Dr. Neem Chandra Bhowmik – and the 11 Dhaka University students have been acquitted of "crimes" they were charged with. The professors’ "crimes" amounted to marching in a procession protesting the beating of students at Dhaka University by the military last August. For their "crimes" they were held without bail by Bangladesh’s military government for 5 months.
Under both international and domestic pressure, last week the military government rather comically announced that regardless of what the verdict from the court was the professors would be set free. Today we have the fruits of the military government’s continuing mockery of justice. University professors who never should have been imprisoned to begin with have finally been freed in a kangaroo court.
The farce in Bangladesh has now turned another page.
UPDATE (1/21/2008 1:40am): The professors have not yet been freed. Apparently there is another case pending against the professors. They have been acquitted in one case only. The "verdict(s)" in the other case(s) will not come until perhaps tomorrow.
UPDATE 1/22/2008 1:58am): In the latest twist in the continuing farce, three of the professors have now been convicted and sentenced to 2 years in prison. E-Bangladesh has the details and a message from Dr. Anwar Hossain. There are reports of protests at Dhaka University campus and at other universities in Dhaka. The situation is volatile. Expect the military government to now show its "kinder gentler side" by "pardoning" the professors. This is a fast developing story.
Pardoned? Released from prison?
The Bangladeshi news paper editors are either very confused about some terminologies or are misleading people deliberately.
Some have termed the acquittal as Presidential pardon or release. Since the detained teachers and students were jailed under emergency ordinance and were not allowed any bail, and were still not found guilty (after investigation was performed for FIVE months), how do the questions of pardon come in to play? How can the President (who had enough reasons for him to be impeached) pardon an innocent man?!?!
Second indiscretion is the term with jail and prison. The paramilitary force picked up some selected individual and threw them in the jail (the place where people await their trial) without any bail for FIVE months. Prison is the place where people go to serve their terms after conviction. Since the students of Rajshahi University have been declared innocent and free to go home, the headline should NOT read “…the students left the prison…†as were displayed by some newspapers.
In all fairness the quarter responsible for filing the false charges against these teachers and students should be identified. These people should apologize for the bottleneck situation in the DU campus.
hi mash
it is unfortunate that this government has left politically biased ,idotic so called teacher like anwar and harun.
i donot know what this government is going to achieve by this.
Khanna, being politically biased or being idiotic is not a crime. You may disagree with these professors views or you may not like the way they teach – that’s your right. But your opinions cannot be substituted for the rule of law.
Khanna (#2),
If being biased and idiotic are reasons enough for landing in jail, you should have been there already.
Khanna ,
Can you please explain , ” what do you mean By So Called Teachers?”
This type of comment indicates you don’t know what the definition of respect is
BREAKING NEWS. (will be in tomorrow’s newspapers, but with DGFI censorship) Despite Sidr, rising food prices, the army has been able to ‘collect’ 25 crore for a new club house for the Army Golf Club (Kurmitola). This has been possible due to multiple ‘donors’. I attended their lavish party for this ironic cause. The reality at the party was that the donors had to donate.
The country is in an economic standstill and the Army feels like spending 25 CRORE, for their golf facilities!!
DU had to struggle for a 10 crore donation for 3 years, and finally found a non-government donor for their research center. But the Army wants to play golf.
Summit Group made a 3 crore donation to Sheikh Mujib foundation and are involved in a legal lawsuit for this. But it is suddenly not illegal to donate to the Army nowdays. How convenient it is for them to earn money.
Hi Mash
What i wanted to mean is that DU teachers for that matter any teacher can make us politically aware. Rather it should be. But no way I will support that they actively participate in the politics. Our teacher will make us future leader of the nation but no way they can teach or inspire us for destruction. do u know that DU teachers are politically divided and they fight in their shomiti for the parent political party? what kind of teacher are they? what is nil, shada etc party? Do u know that few teachers are even dont feel shy to hold the legs of political party leaders who are even not s.s.c pass. so how these teachers are keeping the honour of theirs? do u know that almost 95% teachers of DU are in favor of teaching environment at DU? they dont like politics in the campus or not interested for any sort of politically biased shomiti?
political awareness and political fighting are not same. For last 15 years we saw that DU teaching environment had hampered with powerd political parties student group? Many batch has lost their opportunity to appear in the BSS exam. Was there any procession or lecture sort of things that time. If at all that was very small. i heard many times that many people are telling that DU had historical contribution in 52,71 etc? are the situation same? are our army nobody to us. are they enemy to us? rather i should say they are real nation loving peoples. which we had been expecting from politicians. Then probably the army might not have to be in the ground. mash u must not forget that both the political party in power only destroyed our nations all important institutions nothing else they could do.
i salute my teachers. but i hate those who in the name of teachers doing all nasty,ill motived actions. DU had a history and it was written by all renowned teachers and students. We cannot just compare their role at that time with the present role of few teachers and some ill motivated students. then perhaps we undermine them.