Bangladesh Country of Origin Information (COI) Report COI Service Date 31 August 2013 Bangladesh 31 August 2013 Contents Go to End Preface Background Information 1. Geography ................................................................................................................... 1.01 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.07 Map of Bangladesh ............................................................................................... 1.08 Other maps of Bangladesh ................................................................................. 1.09 2. Economy ...................................................................................................................... 2.01 3. History .......................................................................................................................... 3.01 Pre-independence: 1905- 1971 ............................................................................ 3.01 Post-independence: 1972 - 2012 ....................................................................... 3.03 General Election of 29 December 2008 ............................................................... 3.08 Political parties which contested the general election ........................................ 3.09 Results of the general election ........................................................................... 3.10 Post-election violence ........................................................................................ 3.11 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny ......................................................................... 3.12 War crimes committed in 1971 ............................................................................ 3.17 Trial of murderers of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ........................ 3.19 War crimes tribunal .............................................................................................. 3.23 4. Recent developments: January to July 2013 .......................................................... 4.01 Shabagh square.................................................................................................... 4.02 5. Constitution ................................................................................................................. 5.01 6. Political system ........................................................................................................... 6.01 Structure of the Parliament ................................................................................. 6.01 Caretaker Government ......................................................................................... 6.04 Supervision of elections ...................................................................................... 6.05 Bangladesh Election Commission ...................................................................... 6.05 Local government ................................................................................................. 6.12 Human Rights 7. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7.01 8. Security forces ............................................................................................................ 8.01 Police and paramilitary forces ............................................................................ 8.02 Bangladesh Police.............................................................................................. 8.03 Border Guards of Bangladesh ............................................................................ 8.04 Rapid Action Battalion ........................................................................................ 8.05 Bangladesh Ansar/Village Defence Party ........................................................... 8.06 Police Reform Programme ................................................................................. 8.07 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.12 Other government forces ..................................................................................... 8.14 Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) ............................................. 8.14 Human rights violations by the security forces ................................................. 8.15 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.15 Torture ................................................................................................................ 8.18 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 31 July 2013. 31 August 2013 Bangladesh Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.21 Corruption in the law enforcement agencies ...................................................... 8.25 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.28 Accountability and impunity ................................................................................ 8.30 9. Military service ............................................................................................................ 9.01 10. Abuses by non-government armed forces ............................................................. 10.01 11. Judiciary .................................................................................................................... 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.05 Informal systems of justice: Village Courts and Shalish ..................................... 11.10 Independence ....................................................................................................... 11.14 ‘Politically-motivated’ cases ................................................................................ 11.17 Presidential clemency for criminals .................................................................... 11.18 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 11.19 Legal Aid ............................................................................................................ 11.21 Corruption in the Judiciary .................................................................................. 11.24 12. Arrest and detention – legal rights .......................................................................... 12.01 Pre-trial detention ................................................................................................. 12.01 ‘Cognizable’ and ‘non-cognizable’ offences ....................................................... 12.02 Preventive detention and its legislative framework .......................................... 12.03 Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) ....................................... 12.04 The Special Powers Act (SPA) ........................................................................... 12.06 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 ............................................................... 15.04 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.06 Political violence ................................................................................................. 15.06 Student political groups and violence ................................................................ 15.08 16. Freedom of speech and media ................................................................................ 16.01 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 16.09 17. Human rights institutions, organisations and activists ......................................... 17.01 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) .................................................... 17.03 Treatment of human rights NGOs ....................................................................... 17.07 18. Corruption ................................................................................................................. 18.01 Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) ................................................................... 18.03 High-profile arrests on corruption and other charges ...................................... 18.06 19. Freedom of religion ................................................................................................... 19.01 Religious demography ......................................................................................... 19.01 Family law ............................................................................................................