From the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)

19 February 2008

Tortured journalist describes surviving military beatings

The arbitrary arrest and torture of journalist Tasneem Khalil by Bangladesh 's notorious military intelligence agency highlights abuses under the country's state of emergency and the interim government's failure to restrain the security forces, Human Rights Watch said in a new report today. Human Rights Watch called upon the Bangladeshi government, as well as the country's donors, to urgently tackle the endemic problem of torture.

The 39-page report, “The Torture of Tasneem Khalil: How the Bangladesh Military Abuses Its Power Under the State of Emergency,” graphically details Khalil's 22-hour ordeal in May 2007 in Bangladesh's clandestine detention and torture system - a setup well known to the government, ordinary Bangladeshis, Dhaka's donors, and diplomatic community.

“Rampant illegal detention and torture are clear evidence of Bangladesh 's security forces running amok,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Tasneem Khalil's prominence as a critical journalist may have prompted his arrest, but it also may have saved his life. Ordinary Bangladeshis held by the security forces under the emergency rules have no such protections.”

At a detention center operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the military intelligence agency, officers brutally beat and threatened Khalil, a journalist for the English-language Daily Star, part-time consultant for Human Rights Watch, and a news representative for CNN. Demonstrating just how confident they are that they will not be held accountable, DGFI officials even brought Khalil to meet the editor of his paper before returning him to the detention center for further beatings.

After his release and a month in hiding, Khalil fled Bangladesh for safety in Sweden , which granted asylum to him and his family. This report represents the first time that Khalil has spoken publicly of his experiences.

Khalil was punished for his criticism of the security forces' role in extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and other abuses.

After tremendous international and national pressure, Khalil was released after 22 hours in custody. He then had to go into hiding for a month, before international pressure compelled the authorities to allow him to leave Bangladesh safely for asylum in Sweden .

“The security forces have been arbitrarily detaining and torturing people, but there have been no serious attempts at holding those responsible for these criminal acts to account,” said Adams . “Why hasn't the government made the protection of Bangladeshis from this scourge a priority? Are they reformers, or do they just say they are reformers?”

The full report, including Khalil's complete statement and a full list of contacts, is available at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2008/bangladesh0208/