CHRD Bangladesh is appalled to learn of the arrest of Mrs. Nusrat Shahreen Raka, the younger sister of exiled and eminent journalist, Dr. Kanak Sarwar. Dr. Sarwar is also a member of the Advisory Board of our organization, CHRD Bangladesh.
Mrs. Shahreen was detained by the current fascist regime of Bangladesh on completely fabricated charges under the infamous and draconian Digital Security Act.
Nusrat Shahreen, along with her three children, were picked up last night from their Dhaka residence by a group of the notorious organization RAB, widely known for its horrendous human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture in custody.
From decades of past such incidents, it is clear that Mrs. Shahreen has been targeted solely because she is the sister of dissident journalist Dr. Kanak Sarwar, who is now in exile in the United States. Recently, Dr. Sarwar also joined CHRD Bangladesh, which clearly did not go unnoticed to the authorities in Bangladesh.
Mrs. Shahreen is an innocent housewife with no involvement in any political activities. Put simply, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government has taken an innocent citizen of Bangladesh as a hostage once again.
We believe strongly that this is a vicious attack by the Awami League government against democracy and freedom of the press. It is a rare, cruel and unusual type of punishment when a family member of a journalist is targeted and detained as a blackmailing tool to silence that journalist. Tragically, this is a technique utilized by the ruling party of Bangladesh on a regular basis.
CHRD Bangladesh strongly condemns the persecution of Dr. Kanak Sarwar’s sister and demand the immediate release of Mrs. Nusrat Shahreen from police custody. We also appeal to all the international human rights and media organizations to condemn this blatant abuse by the undemocratic and authoritarian government of Bangladesh. Furthermore, we call upon the people of the world to be vigilant in protecting journalists and their families in Bangladesh.
Dr. Kanak Sarwar is also a very prominent journalist with a background in television that dates back ten years. He is currently working towards the restoration of democracy, human rights and press freedom in Bangladesh on his independent channel and with CHRD Bangladesh.
In 2015, when Mr. Sarwar was working for the Bangladeshi TV Channel ETV and still residing in Bangladesh, he was arrested, imprisoned, and charged with sedition. At present, he produces a very well-known political discussion program on YouTube and Facebook, in which he primarily
interviews government critics. This undoubtedly embarrasses and enrages the Bangladesh government.
It is widely believed that had Mr. Sarwar been in Bangladesh currently, he would have faced serious charges, perhaps been imprisoned and his program banned. The Bangladesh government has issued a ruling from the High Court blocking Mr. Sarwar’s channel, Kanak Sarwar News. The
allegations are that the channel in question publishes anti-state, distorted content.
Bangladesh has had very concerning issues with press freedom, very often leading to enforced disappearances, unlawful imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial killings, to name a few.
CHRD Bangladesh wholeheartedly condemns the unlawful, authoritarian acts committed by the Bangladesh ruling party.
*Report by The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh).
October 7, 2021
