Bangladesh Country Report 2012-09-30
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BANGLADESH COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service Date 30 September 2012 BANGLADESH 30 SEPTEMBER 2012 Contents Go to End Please note: Information which has been updated since the last edition of this document is indicated by the use of yellow highlighting. A version of the report without highlighting is available from the UK Border Agency website at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/guidance/coi/ Preface REPORTS ON BANGLADESH PUBLISHED OR FIRST ACCESSED BETWEEN 31 AUGUST AND 30 SEPTEMBER 2012 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 1.01 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.06 Maps of Bangladesh ............................................................................................. 1.07 Other maps of Bangladesh ................................................................................. 1.07 2. ECONOMY ....................................................................................................................... 2.01 3. HISTORY ......................................................................................................................... 3.01 Pre-independence: 1947- 1971 ............................................................................ 3.01 Post-independence: 1972 - April 2010 .............................................................. 3.02 Government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1972-75 ............................................. 3.02 Government of Ziaur Rahman, 1975-81 ............................................................. 3.03 Government of Hussain Mohammed Ershad, 1982-90 ...................................... 3.04 Government of Khaleda Zia, 1991-96 ................................................................ 3.05 Government of Sheikh Hasina, 1996-2001 ........................................................ 3.06 Government of Khaleda Zia, 2001-2006 ............................................................ 3.07 Caretaker Government and state of emergency, October 2006 -January 2009 . 3.10 Restoring democracy in Bangladesh ................................................................. 3.12 General Election of 29 December 2008 ............................................................. 3.12 Political parties which contested the general election ........................................ 3.13 Results of the general election ........................................................................... 3.15 Reaction to the results ........................................................................................ 3.16 International observer reports ............................................................................ 3.18 Post-election violence ........................................................................................ 3.21 Sheikh Hasina 2009 to May 2010 ..................................................................... 3.22 Local elections ................................................................................................... 3.24 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny ......................................................................... 3.28 War crimes committed in 1971 ............................................................................ 3.35 Trial of murderers of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ........................ 3.36 War crimes tribunal .............................................................................................. 3.40 Natural catastrophes ............................................................................................ 3.42 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JANUARY 2011 TO AUGUST 2012 .............................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION ................................................................................................................ 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM .......................................................................................................... 6.01 Caretaker Government ......................................................................................... 6.05 Local government ................................................................................................. 6.09 Supervision of elections ...................................................................................... 6.11 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 31 August 2012. 30 SEPTEMBER 2012 BANGLADESH Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ........................................................................................................... 8.01 Police and paramilitary forces............................................................................. 8.02 Police Reform Programme ................................................................................. 8.05 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.09 Other government forces ..................................................................................... 8.11 Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) ............................................. 8.11 Human rights violations by the security forces ................................................. 8.12 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.12 Torture ................................................................................................................ 8.16 Odhikar Torture Prevention Project ................................................................ 8.20 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.21 Corruption in the law enforcement agencies ...................................................... 8.26 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.27 Accountability and impunity ................................................................................ 8.32 9. MILITARY SERVICE ........................................................................................................... 9.01 10. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ............................................................... 10.01 11. JUDICIARY .................................................................................................................... 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.04 The Truth Commission ....................................................................................... 11.12 Informal systems of justice: Village Courts and Shalish ..................................... 11.13 Independence ....................................................................................................... 11.14 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 11.18 Corruption in the Judiciary .................................................................................. 11.22 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ....................................................................... 12.01 Preventive detention and its legislative framework .......................................... 12.01 The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC): Section 54 ......................................... 12.02 The Special Powers Act (SPA) ........................................................................... 12.03 Pre-trial detention ................................................................................................. 12.07 Bail ......................................................................................................................... 12.08 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ...................................................................................................... 13.01 14. DEATH PENALTY ............................................................................................................ 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION .................................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 15.05 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.07 Political violence ................................................................................................. 15.07 Charges against, and restrictions on, the main party leaders ............................. 15.09 Student political groups and violence ................................................................ 15.11 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA .................................................................................... 16.01 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 16.07 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ......................................... 17.01 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ...................................................