Swedish "The Dissident Blog's" Special Issue on Bangladesh
The Dissident Blog is a publication of the Swedish PEN that wants to bring to light texts "that can neither be written nor published in the writers' own countries." The goal is provide these writings a Swedish as well as an international audience. This is an excellent well-developed online magazine that should be on the reading list of all free-thinkers. https://www.dissidentblog.org/en
Justice Served - Death Sentence Upheld for Two War Criminals
During the early morning hours of November 22, Bangladesh carried out the death sentences for two notorious war criminals of 1971. They were Salahuddin Quader (SQ) Chowdhury and Ali Ahsam Mohammed Mujahid (or Mojaheed).
Editorial - Human Rights Watch's statement is unhelpful towards establishing justice
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement asking for an immediate halt to the execution of the war criminals Salahuddin Quader (SQ) Chowdhury and Ali Hasan Mujahid in Bangladesh. HRW wants to portray this as a political vendetta of the ruling Awami League (AL) against the political parties of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). HRW laments the lack of fair trial and accuses the court of not allowing witnesses who could testify to the innocence of these two men.
Joint Statement - Calling on the Canadian government to help secularists in Bangladesh
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
Terror in November
Just like in any other months in recent history, it is with great sadness that we receive news of terrorism from Europe and Asia.
Humanists urge Dutch Government to take action regarding Bangladesh
Boris van den Ham, the chairman of the Dutch Humanist Association has sent the following letter to the heads of the Dutch Government urging them to bring the issue of the assassinations of the free thinkers in Bangladesh during the Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina's visit to the Netherlands. The letter has been translated from Dutch, some inadvertent changes from the original might have occurred.
Rafida Ahmed Bonya on the UN panel "Ending Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/163 at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the 'International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists' (IDEI). The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
CFIC Implores the Canadian Government To Help Tareq Rahim
On October 31, 2015, religious fanatics in Bangladesh continued attacks on atheist and secularist bloggers. In the attack, Faisal Abedin Deepan, Avijit Roy's publisher, was murdered while three bloggers were brutally injured. One of those bloggers, Tareq Rahim, is married to a Canadian citizen.
Editorial - Amnesty's Baffling Stand on War Crime
It is with utmost concern we observe that David Griffiths, Amnesty International's South Asia Research Director, has issued a statement describing the death penalty given to the 1971 war criminals Mohammed Mojaheed and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury as the ultimate miscarriage of justice.