COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT BANGLADESH 20 AUGUST 2010 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE BANGLADESH 20 AUGUST 2010 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN BANGLADESH FROM 1 JULY TO 19 AUGUST 2010 REPORTS ON BANGLADESH PUBLISHED OR FIRST ACCESSED BETWEEN 1 JULY AND 19 AUGUST 2010 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY .............................................................................................1.01 Public holidays..........................................................................1.05 Map...............................................................................................1.06 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................2.01 3. HISTORY ..................................................................................................3.01 Pre-independence: 1947- 1971....................................................3.01 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......................................................3.08 General Election of 29 December 2008......................................3.10 Political parties which contested the general election................3.11 Results of the general election..................................................3.13 Reaction to the results...............................................................3.14 International observer reports....................................................3.16 Post-election violence...............................................................3.20 Sheikh Hasina 2009 to date .....................................................3.21 Local elections...........................................................................3.23 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny................................................3.24 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 2009 TO DATE .........................................................4.01 War crimes committed in 1971...................................................4.06 Trial of murderers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman..4.07 Natural catastrophies..................................................................4.14 5. CONSTITUTION ...........................................................................................5.01 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 Armed forces................................................................................8.05 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 30 June 2010. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 19 August 2010. 20 AUGUST 2010 BANGLADESH Other government forces............................................................8.06 Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)....................8.06 Human rights violations by the security forces........................8.08 Arbitrary arrest and detention....................................................8.08 Torture.......................................................................................8.11 Odhikar Torture Prevention Project...........................................8.15 Extra-judicial killings..................................................................8.16 Accountability and impunity.......................................................8.21 Corruption in the law enforcement agencies..............................8.23 Police Reform Programme........................................................8.24 Avenues of complaint..................................................................8.27 9. MILITARY SERVICE ......................................................................................9.01 10. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ..............................................10.01 11. JUDICIARY ..............................................................................................11.01 Organisation.................................................................................11.04 Special Tribunals.......................................................................11.08 The Truth Commission..............................................................11.09 Informal systems of justice: Village Courts and Shalish .............11.10 Independence...............................................................................11.11 Fair trial.........................................................................................11.15 Corruption in the Judiciary.........................................................11.18 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........................................................................12.10 Bail................................................................................................12.11 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......................................15.02 Opposition groups and political activists..................................15.04 Political violence........................................................................15.04 Charges against, and restrictions on, the main party leaders....15.06 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA .................................................................16.01 Treatment of journalists..............................................................16.06 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)...........................................18.02 High-profile arrests on corruption and other charges..............18.07 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION ..............................................................................19.01 Family law.................................................................................19.05 Fatwa........................................................................................19.11 Hindus...........................................................................................19.14 Buddhists.....................................................................................19.20 The Ahmadiyya community (alternatively ahmadis or kadiyanis or qadianis).......................19.24 Christians.....................................................................................19.28 20. ETHNIC GROUPS .......................................................................................20.01 The Indigenous Jumma Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts20.02 Biharis...........................................................................................20.05 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 30 June 2010. Further brief iii information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 19 August 2010. BANGLADESH 20 AUGUST 2010 Background...............................................................................20.05 Biharis recognised as citizens...................................................20.07 Living conditions in the camps...................................................20.12 21. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .....................................21.01 Legal rights..................................................................................21.03 Treatment by and attitudes of the state.....................................21.08 Ill treatment by police officers and by Mastans.........................21.08 Societal treatment and attitudes.................................................21.12