Country of Origin Information Report Bangladesh August 2007
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT BANGLADESH 31 AUGUST 2007 Border & Immigration Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE BANGLADESH 31 AUGUST 2007 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN BANGLADESH, 16 AUGUST TO 31 AUGUST 2007 REPORTS ON BANGLADESH PUBLISHED OR FIRST ACCESSED SINCE 15 AUGUST 2007 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY........................................................................................ 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.05 2. ECONOMY............................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY.............................................................................................. 3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ..................................................................... 4.01 Caretaker Government................................................................... 4.01 State of Emergency proclaimed; General Election postponed....... 4.05 The role of the Military.................................................................... 4.13 Arrangements for the independence of the lower Judiciary ........... 4.17 Militant Islamist leaders executed; others convicted ...................... 4.19 Renewed Islamist militant activity................................................... 4.22 Anti-Corruption Commission strengthened; right to bail curbed..... 4.26 High-profile arrests on corruption and other charges ..................... 4.29 Other arrests .................................................................................. 4.34 Charges against, restrictions on, the main party leaders ............... 4.35 Continued extrajudicial killings by security forces .......................... 4.41 Electoral reform and the election ‘roadmap’................................... 4.44 Police Reform................................................................................. 4.49 Other developments ....................................................................... 4.51 5. CONSTITUTION..................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ............................................................................. 6.01 Government .................................................................................. 6.01 Caretaker Government................................................................. 6.05 Local government ........................................................................ 6.08 Supervision of elections.............................................................. 6.10 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY SITUATION........................................................................... 8.01 9. CRIME ................................................................................................. 9.01 10. SECURITY FORCES ............................................................................. 10.01 Police and paramilitary forces .................................................... 10.02 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.04 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.05 Extrajudicial killings.................................................................... 10.09 Accountability............................................................................. 10.13 Avenues of complaint ................................................................ 10.22 Armed Forces ............................................................................... 10.25 11. MILITARY SERVICE ............................................................................. 11.01 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 31 August 2007. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 31 AUGUST 2007 BANGLADESH 12. ABUSES BY PROSCRIBED MILITANT GROUPS ...................................... 12.01 Militant Islamist organisations.................................................... 12.01 Maoist groups............................................................................... 12.17 13. JUDICIARY.......................................................................................... 13.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 13.05 Special Tribunals ....................................................................... 13.09 Speedy Trial Act (STA) ............................................................. 13.10 Family Law................................................................................. 13.12 Informal systems of justice: Village Courts and Shalish ............ 13.13 Independence ............................................................................... 13.15 Fair trial ......................................................................................... 13.22 Corruption in the Judiciary ......................................................... 13.24 14. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS.......................................... 14.01 Preventive detention and its legislative framework.................. 14.02 The Special Powers Act (SPA) .................................................... 14.04 Pre-trial Detention ........................................................................ 14.08 Bail................................................................................................. 14.10 Safe custody ................................................................................. 14.11 15. PRISON CONDITIONS........................................................................... 15.01 16. DEATH PENALTY ................................................................................ 16.01 17. POLITICAL AFFILIATION....................................................................... 17.01 Freedom of political expression ................................................. 17.03 Freedom of association and assembly ...................................... 17.04 Opposition groups and political activists.................................. 17.07 18. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE MEDIA ................................................ 18.01 Treatment of journalists .............................................................. 18.05 19. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS.......... 19.01 Treatment of human rights NGOs............................................... 19.02 20. CORRUPTION...................................................................................... 20.01 Corruption in the lower Judiciary ............................................... 20.07 Corruption in the Police Force.................................................... 20.09 21. FREEDOM OF RELIGION....................................................................... 21.01 Introduction .................................................................................. 21.01 Hindus ........................................................................................... 21.11 Buddhists...................................................................................... 21.21 Ahmadiyya community (Ahmadis/Kadiyanis/Qadianis) ........... 21.24 Christians...................................................................................... 21.36 22. ETHNIC GROUPS................................................................................. 22.01 The Jumma Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.................... 22.01 Biharis ........................................................................................... 22.18 23. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS.................... 23.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 23.01 Societal ill-treatment or discrimination...................................... 23.02 24. DISABILITY ......................................................................................... 24.01 25. WOMEN.............................................................................................. 25.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 25.03 Political rights............................................................................... 25.05 Social and economic rights......................................................... 25.07 Violence against women.............................................................. 25.09 Domestic violence...................................................................... 25.09 Rape .......................................................................................... 25.14 Acid attacks ............................................................................... 25.17 Vigilantism ................................................................................. 25.23 Domestic workers ...................................................................... 25.24 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 31 August 2007. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. BANGLADESH 31 AUGUST 2007 26. CHILDREN .........................................................................................