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H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General, United Nations, New York, NY 10027, USA
Sir, 8 March 2013 Ref. : Bangladesh The Voice for Justice World Forum is an
advocacy group which promotes human rights and justice for all. Our
membership consists of a diverse group of professionals, living in Asia,
Europe and North America, who are deeply concerned about human rights
violations, the failure of justice and the possibility of a bloodbath in
Bangladesh. The last four years of unilateral rule,
squabbles, rabid corruption, nepotism, politicization of the government
machinery and the formation of the International War Crimes Tribunal under
dubious and questionable motives, the impromptu Shahbag
protests calling for death sentences for the accused, the intimidation of the
judiciary, and finally, the overturning of the initial verdicts, country-wide
strife and mayhem have brought Bangladesh to the brink of a civil war. We have grave doubts and skepticism
about the process and agenda behind these trials. There have been numerous
reports of police brutality and people are living in fear. The present
conflict resulting in violent deaths of more than a hundred people including
women and children within the span of only a few days, a tragedy of this
magnitude hardly been encountered anywhere in the world during recent
history. We urgently request your intervention to bring
an end to the bloodshed tearing Bangladesh apart. The leaders have failed to
put the interest of the country above party politics and self-interest. They
have been unable to seek a new path for peace and protection of the
citizenry, which puts Bangladesh at risk of becoming a failed state. Hence
the need for your timely intervention. We request you to use your office to invite
all political parties to begin a dialogue and reach a compromise for an
effective 'National Government' that puts the interest of the people above
partisan politics. We suggest the following options: 1. Create a 'National
Government' with representation from all parties to hold free and fair
elections, with international monitoring, in 12-24 months' time. This
government could be headed by a non-partisan individual who is credible in the
community with advisory input from ordinary citizens and experts in
governance issues. 2. Restore law and
order, with a temporary embargo on all street
protests, strikes and obstruction to the smooth running of the interim
government. 3. Ensure separation of
the judiciary from other branches of government and place the police force
under civilian oversight with clear lines of accountability. 4. Amend and reinstate
secular values in the constitution as originally proposed ensuring freedom of
language and religion for all with distinct status for indigenous peoples. 5. Put in place a
process to re-integrate into Bangladeshi society people who have been living
in camps for several decades and ensure the protection of human rights for
all. 6. The human rights
commission should have expanded powers and resources to monitor this
transition.
Thanking you and with best regards. Yours very sincerely, On behalf of Voice For Justice World Forum http://www.voiceforjustice.org Names : 1. Dr. Hasanat Husain MBE, Convener, Voice for Justice World Forum 2. Dr. Hasan Zillur Rahim , Convenor, Voice
For Justice, San Hose, USA 3. Dr. Shamsul Islam Choudhury,
Convenor Voice For Justice, Chicago, USA 4. Syed Tareq Ahmed, VFJ Dhaka, Bangladesh 5. Ms. Shaheen Ali, VFJ Toronto, Canada 6. Mr. Ezajur Rahman, Convenor, Voice
For Justice, Kuwait 7. Mr. Enam Choudhury, Voice for Justice, Stockholm, Sweden 8. Mr. Sadiqur
Rahman, Voice For Justice, London, UK 9. Dr. Taj Hashmi, VFJ Convenor, Tennessee,
USA 10. Mr. Gulzar
Ahmed, Voice For Justice, Vienna, Austria 11. Syed Mahmud Husain, Voice For Justice, Singapore 12. Dr. Abdur
Rahman, Voice for Justice, Limerick, Ireland 13. Mr. Abdul Latif
JP, Convenor Voice For Justice, Birmingham, UK 14. Dr. Zakia
Rahman, Voice For Justice, Ireland 15. Dr. Jasmine Tickle, Voice For
Justice, Cambridge, UK |
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