Bangladesh: Moshrefa Mishu’s Immediate Release Sought
By William Gomes
22 January, 2011
Countercurrents.org
Workers, Civil society people and leftist political leaders Friday
demanded immediate and unconditional release of labour rights activist
Moshrefa Mishu and other leaders who were illegally arrested on false
charges of their involvement in recent unrest in country’s apparel
sector.
Moshrefa Mishu was illegally arrested on 14 December on false charges
of instigating unrest and violence in three readymade garment
factories of Kuril in the city following new pay structure of workers.
About 300 hundred people including Workers and Civil society peoples
comes together demanding unconditional and immediate release of labor
rights activists outside of national press club.
In Dhaka, workers and leftist political leaders pressed their demands
at a demonstration outside of the National Press Club.
Speakers at the demonstration said serious unrest in Bangladesh's
garment industry has been commonplace over the last few years, in part
due to the inability of workers to express their grievances through
union representation.
Speakers at the demonstration said the appalling conditions in the
Bangladesh industry are well documented and include poverty wages,
dire heath and safety conditions and long hours. The repressive
measures taken by the Bangladeshi government fail to address the
legitimate concerns of workers and the underlying causes of the
turmoil.
Speakers at the demonstration also said stop all repression of
workers, trade unions, researchers, workers rights activists and
policy advocates;drop the false charges levied at labour rights
defenders for carrying out their legitimate duties;enter into genuine
and constructive dialogue with union representatives and labour rights
defenders to develop sound industrial relations.
Signature Campaign:
The programme include sending urgent appeal to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, Chief Justice, A. B. M. Khairul Haque, Law, Justice &
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed, Home Minister
Sahara Khatun , Attorney General of Bangladesh Mahbubey Alam ,
Chairman National Human Rights Commission Prof. Mizanur Rahman,
Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmud Khandker and Dhaka
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benzir Ahmed using the urgent
appeal programme of Asian Human Rights commission through the Urgent
Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-006-2011 for Moshrefa Mishu. The campaigners
said that we are very thankful to Asian Human Rights Commission that
they have developed the urgent appeal system and they also raised the
issue of illegal arrest of Moshrefa Mishu to the government and also
to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and Special Rapporteurs
on Independent of Judges and Lawyers and Violence Against Women
requesting their prompt interventions in this case.
The campaigners said that we hope that we will collect 10 lakh signs
for Moshrefa Mishu from all over the country. Campaigners said we also
hope that the people from all over the world will also keep sending
mail to government.
Prominent economist Anu Muhammad, writer, columnist Rahnuma Ahmed,
Development activist Khushi Kabir, Singer Kafil Ahamed, journalist
Faruk Wasif and other notable leftist political leaders were present
during the demonstration Police and intelligence people were deployed out side of National press club where the demonstration was taking place.
Many of the country's 4,500 garment factories produce clothes for big
names such as Wal-Mart, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Carrefour, Gap,
Metro, JCPenney, Marks & Spencer, Kohl's and Levi Strauss.
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