We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the brutal attack by police and army personnel on Nurul Haque Nur, President of Gono Odhikar Parishad and former Vice President of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). Such a barbaric assault is not only a grave threat to personal security but also a matter of deep concern for democracy and citizens’ rights in Bangladesh.
We also note with alarm the recent police attack on protesting BUET students, as well as the unlawful torture in custody of Riyad Hossain, leader of the anti-discrimination student movement, who was detained on extortion allegations. We firmly believe that these repeated assaults stand as serious obstacles to the spirit of the July Uprising and to the collective aspiration of building an egalitarian, democratic Bangladesh. It is our strong conviction that the complete reconstruction of Bangladesh 2.0 requires bringing to justice all perpetrators of the past 15 years of fascist rule. The failure to ensure accountability for the officers and collaborators of the fascist regime, along with the inability of the interim government to carry out even minimal reforms within law enforcement, are the root causes of these recent atrocities.
Therefore, we demand that the interim government immediately conduct thorough investigations into the attack on VP Nur and all other recent incidents of human rights violations perpetrated by law enforcement agencies, and ensure exemplary punishment for those responsible. At the same time, we call for the establishment of a special Justice and Reconciliation Commission to bring to justice institutions and individuals complicit in fascism, as part of building a democratic, rights-based new Bangladesh. Finally, we urge all conscious citizens, political parties, and members of civil society to build strong public opinion against ongoing human rights violations committed by state security forces.
We believe that only through justice, accountability, and institutional reform can a new, democratic Bangladesh be truly achieved.
Signatories
- Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Qatar
- Dr. Shakib Mustavi, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Central Florida, USA
- Sibbir Ahmed, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Virginia, USA
- Taib Ahmed, PhD Candidate & Instructor, Colorado State University, USA
- Minhazul Abedin, PhD Researcher, Istanbul University, Turkey
- Mir Shabbir Hasan, PhD Researcher, University of Georgia, USA
- Shamsul Arefin Rehan, PhD Researcher, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
- Muhammad Talha, Researcher, CGCS
- Hasan Mahmud, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Shamsul Islam Chowdhury, Education Consultant, Denmark
- Abdullah Al Masum, University of Dhaka
- Abrar Mohsin Samin, Research Engineer, USA
- Khalid Muhammad, University of Dhaka
- Mujtahid Akon, Pennsylvania State University, USA
- Arafat Rahman Shoaishob, LLB, United Kingdom
- Saleh Mahmud Tanim, University of Dhaka
- ABM Absar Hamid, Independent Researcher
- Abu Sayeed, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University
- Ishfak Farhan Siyam, Georgetown University, Qatar
- Mehedi Hasan, Texas Tech University, USA
- Monowar Masud, Researcher, University of Kentucky, USA
- Shahriar Kamal, PhD Researcher, Nagoya University, Japan
- Farhan Saleh Rafid, Al Jazeera Media Network
- Mohtasim Hafiz, Georgetown University, Qatar
- Md. Towfiqur Rahman, Banker, Bangladesh
- Mohammad Ishrak, Independent Researcher
- Sumaiya Rabeya, Research Fellow, Malaysia
- Russell Mohammad, Research and Development Engineer, Japan
- Moudud Hasan, University of Dhaka
- Abdul Muhaymin, Bilkent University, Turkey
- Muhammad Ashraf Ali, Graduate Research Assistant, North Carolina State University
Best Regards
Taib Ahmed
Secretary, Citizen Initiative
PhD Candidate & Instructor,
Colorado State University
Dr. Hasan Mahmud
Chairman, Citizen Initiative
Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Qatar
