163 Flygtningenævnets baggrundsmateriale Bilagsnr.: 163 Land: Bangladesh Kilde: British Home Office UK Border Agency. Country of Origin Information Titel: Report Udgivet: 23. december 2011 Optaget på 30. marts 2012 baggrundsmaterialet: Flygtningenævnet St. Kongensgade 1-3 DK-1264 København K Telefon +45 3392 9600 Fax +45 3391 9400 E-mail [email protected] www.fln.dk BANGLADESH COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service Date 23 December 2011 BANGLADESH 23 DECEMBER 2011 Contents 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 LATEST NEWS EVENTS IN BANGLADESH FROM 1 NOVEMBER TO 23 DECEMBER 2011 REPORTS ON BANGLADESH PUBLISHED OR FIRST ACCESSED BETWEEN 1 NOVEMBER AND 23 DECEMBER 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 1.01 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.06 Maps of Bangladesh ............................................................................................. 1.07 Other maps ........................................................................................................ 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 ......................................................................... 3.25 War crimes committed in 1971 ............................................................................ 3.35 Trial of murderers of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ........................ 3.37 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: MAY 2010 TO DECEMBER 2010 ................................................. 4.01 War crimes tribunal .............................................................................................. 4.01 Natural catastrophies ........................................................................................... 4.03 5. CONSTITUTION ................................................................................................................ 5.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 31 October 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 23 December 2011. 23 DECEMBER 2011 BANGLADESH 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM .......................................................................................................... 6.01 Caretaker Government ......................................................................................... 6.04 Local government ................................................................................................. 6.07 Supervision of elections ...................................................................................... 6.09 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 ................................................................................................................ 8.15 Odhikar Torture Prevention Project ................................................................ 8.19 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.20 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 Special Tribunals ................................................................................................ 11.09 The Truth Commission ....................................................................................... 11.10 Informal systems of justice: Village Courts and Shalish ..................................... 11.11 Independence ....................................................................................................... 11.12 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 11.16 Corruption in the Judiciary .................................................................................. 11.19 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ....................................................................... 12.01 Preventive detention and its legislative framework .......................................... 12.02 The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC): Section 54 ......................................... 12.04 The Special Powers Act (SPA) ........................................................................... 12.05 Pre-trial Detention ................................................................................................ 12.09 Bail ......................................................................................................................... 12.10 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 ............................................................... 15.03 Opposition groups and political activists .........................................................