Entries from February 2008 ↓

Staff Correspondent

The leaders of the Awami League on Wednesday demanded that the government ensure proper treatment of party president Sheikh Hasina after releasing her immediately.

Terming the prevailing state of emergency as illegal after the expiry of 90 days as per the Constitution, they also issued an ultimatum to the government to revoke the emergency by March and announce the date for elections immediately.

‘We demand our leader Sheikh Hasina’s immediate release to ensure proper medical treatment for her,’ said AL presidium member Tofail Ahmed at the discussion meeting on ‘February 21, International Mother Language Day’, held at the auditorium of Institution of Engineers in the afternoon.

Presided over by AL’s acting president Zillur Rahman, the party leaders also warned the government that it would face dire consequences unless Hasina was released and a free, fair and credible election was held as soon as possible. ‘Lift the emergency before the month of blood-stained March.

We will observe Independence Day with our leader Sheikh Hasina,’ said AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, adding that the AL wanted to observe the historic March 7 and March 17, the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in a free atmosphere.

She also warned that the government would be held responsible if anything untoward happened to Hasina due to lack of treatment and if any ill-motivated move to foil the elections was made. ‘We are just being patient because we want a proper atmosphere for elections, otherwise we will launch a movement,’ she added.

Terming the existing emergency illegal, presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said that the ‘ineffective’ emergency should be withdrawn immediately and the date for the polls should be announced within March. ‘As per the Constitution, the emergency should be lifted after 90 days.

I want to know under which provision you [government] have kept the emergency effective for the last one year,’ he said, adding that if the emergency was not lifted immediately the people would not hesitate to take action. ‘Give up the politics of exile.

Release all of our leaders including Sheikh Hasina and lift the emergency immediately to hold a free and fair election,’ said presidium member Matia Chowdhury, adding that her party would participate in the elections under Hasina’s leadership. Terming Hasina’s release a ‘matter of time’ only, Zillur Rahman urged leaders and activists to ensure the success of the programmes to be announced by the AL on a limited scale.

‘I said earlier that only a legal battle is not enough to free Hasina. We have to recognise reality and launch movements. When the human chain of the Dhaka University students, demanding Hasina’s release, will reach Shahbagh, the people will join it,’ said AL presidium member Amir Hossain Amu.

Amu also urged the government to arrange medical treatment for Hasina within 72 hours. The acting general secretary of AL, Syed Ashraful Islam, said that Hasina would be with the party in the next polls if the leaders and activists uphold unity and go ahead in a cool manner.

Terming the government-backed new political parties as ‘kings parties’, he said that none of the leaders and activists of AL have joined the so-called ‘molom [criminals who drug their victims] and Kalyan’ parties. Most of the leaders opined that only the legal battle was not enough to free Hasina, and urged the leaders and activists to get prepared for waging a movement to free her without any delay.
http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/200802222249/country/al-for-hasinas-treatment-after-release.html

DHAKA: Bangladesh Supreme Court has deferred until February 25, a crucial hearing on the government’s appeal against a High Court verdict quashing detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s trial under Emergency rules.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin on Tuesday rescheduled the leave to appeal hearing on petition by Hasina’s lawyers requesting the adjournment as her chief counsel was abroad.

Hasina was arrested on July 16 in connection with a case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury alleging that he was forced to pay nearly Taka three crore (USD 435,000) to clear a power project while her Awami League government was in power from 1996 to 2001.

The Appellate Division earlier on February 12 ordered a “stand over” until yesterday on the urgent government appeal filed minutes after the High Court verdict declaring Hasina’s trial under emergency powers rule (EPR) “illegal”.

Hasina, also the chief of Awami League, challenged earlier her trial under the tough EPR that bars the trial court from granting the accused bail during the trial process.

In a related development, officials and her doctors said the ex-premier who was suffering from blood pressure, eye and hearing problems and allergic dermatitis agreed to receiving treatment, except for the ears, in the country.

Source.

Staff Correspondent

The Canadian branch president of the American Association of Jurists, William Sloan who came to Dhaka on February 16, was denied entry to a special court on Tuesday.

Sloan, also an international human rights lawyer, went to the special judge’s court set up on the Jatiya Sangsad complex at about 2:00pm, but the security personnel did not let him in where the court is housed.

‘I am disappointed being denied access to the court to observe the trial of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina,’ Sloan told reporters at the gate of the MP Hostel on the Jatiya Sangsad complex. He said, ‘By not allowing me to enter the courtroom it has been proved that this is not a public trial… Nasty things happen in the dark.’

It is imperative to ensure transparency in the trial of the former prime minister, he observed. Sloan said he had witnessed many important trials around the world, but this was for the second time in his life he had been obstructed in such cases. Earlier he was barred from witnessing the trial of Pinochet of Chile. ‘This is a very bad thing. This is not a public trial. There is nothing to hide. Why are the proceedings held behind closed doors?

This is not a good sign. I am very disappointed,’ Sloan said. Reacting to the obstruction of Sloan, Hasina’s counsel Shafique Ahmed told reporters that William Sloan did not come here as a lawyer of Hasina, but to watch the trial process as a jurist. ‘This will raise the question about the transparency of the Bangladeshi judicial system before the international community,’ he said. ‘It will undermine the image of Bangladesh abroad.’

Police inspector Salahuddin Khan, who was on duty, said Sloan had been barred from entering the courtroom as he came to Bangladesh as a tourist. ‘If any foreigner comes to Bangladesh on a tourist visa, he requires permission from the Special Branch to visit any protected area,’ the police official said.

Asked how Canadian lawyer Payam Akhavan had entered the courtroom to witness Hasina’s trial in the Tk 2.99 crore extortion case late January, the police officer said they did not have any information on him at that time.

http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/200802212160/country/sloan-denied-entry-to-hasina-courtroom.html

Awami League (AL) yesterday urged the caretaker government to allow detained AL President Sheikh Hasina receive treatment abroad as recommended by her personal physician.

The call came after a bilateral meeting between AL and the Ganotantri Party — one of the allies in 14-party combine — held at acting AL President Zillur Rahman’s Gulshan residence.

The meeting, chaired by Zillur Rahman, decided to help the caretaker government to hand over state power to an elected government through holding of the parliamentary election in line with the electoral roadmap announced by the Election Commission.

Both parties demanded that the government hold dialogues with all political parties as early as possible and without any conditions.

AL and the Ganotantri Party have both decided to take a common stand on issues to be discussed at both dialogues with the government and the Election Commission. These will be based on the 14-party alliance’s 31-point charter of electoral reform proposals.

The meeting also strongly demanded that the state of emergency be lifted before the polls. Both parties expressed hope that the chief adviser, chief election commissioner and chief of army staff’s repeated pledges in this regard would be honoured.

After the meeting, AL Presidium member Tofail Ahmed told reporters that they want to help the caretaker government in bringing an end to the prevailing political, economic and social crises through the proposed dialogues.

He said both parties have decided to raise the issue of releasing all detained AL leaders, including its President Sheikh Hasina and General Secretary Abdul Jalil.

Gonotantri Party President Nurul Islam said there is no alternative for the caretaker government but to hold dialogues, adding that even wars can be brought to an end through dialogues.

Both leaders expressed their concern over the health condition of Sheikh Hasina and expressed hope that the government would allow her to go abroad for urgent treatment.

AL leaders Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Motia Chowdhury, Kazi Zafrullah and Syed Ashraful Islam and Giasuddin Haider Chowdhury, Nurur Rahman Selim, among others, from Ganotantri party were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile AL is scheduled to hold talks with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal today.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24016

Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina has decided to consider positively the suggestions by the jail authorities and her personal doctors to have medical check-ups in the country, her physician said yesterday.

“She [Hasina] has said that she will think about our proposals positively,” Dr ABM Abdullah, one of the personal physicians of the AL chief, told The Daily Star after a meeting with her at the sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises.

Hasina had earlier refused to have any medical check-ups, except for her eyes, in the country expressing fear that there would be foul play.

The jail authorities on Thursday agreed to send the ailing former prime minister to any hospital in the country of her choice for medical check-ups and eye treatment.

Dr Abdullah, who will visit the ailing AL chief today as well, said he is expecting she would agree to have check-ups within a couple of days.

Talking to The Daily Star, the doctor said that overall health condition of Hasina was better yesterday than other days but she is having severe hearing problems as both of her hearing aides have been damaged.

He firmly said that there is no alternative but to go to US for treatment of her ears, as it is not possible in the country

Hasina has also been suffering from severe allergic dermatitis and experienced swelling in the last two days, Dr Abdullah said adding that her blood pressure was stable.

She needs to have some important medical tests now including test of liver and kidney functions, ECG, chest x-ray and lipid profile for blood pressure observation, he said.

“It would be better if she is admitted to a hospital. Then we could keep her under observation for at least a couple of days,” Dr Abdullah said adding that he had suggested the AL chief get admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

Meanwhile in a press statement yesterday, 173 teachers of Dhaka University (DU) expressed grave concerns over the health of Sheikh Hasina and urged the government to ensure her proper treatment and release her immediately.

“Today, it is clear to all that the cases filed against her [Hasina] is politically motivated,” said the statement sent by Prof Anwar Hossain of microbiology department, also the general secretary of DU Teachers’ Association (Duta).

It was signed by Dr Harun-or-Rashid, Dr Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Dr Mizanur Rahman, Dr Muhammad Samad, Prof RIM Aminur Rashid, Dr Mohammad Rahmat Ullah, Dr Mohammad Afzal Hossain, Mahbuba Nasreen, among others.

Meanwhile, Hasina’s only son Sajeeb Wazed Joy yesterday urged the government to allow her mother to go to US for medical treatment.

Talking to New York based-America News Agency (ANA), Joy said the government would have to shoulder the responsibility if anything happens to her mother for not receiving proper treatment.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=23888