November 12, 2009. Shoaib called me with news about today's court proceedings. They could not have taken much more than ten minutes, he said. There were no witnesses, and the prosecution did not even participate really. Judge Bashir Ullah merely informed the defense that the case would be continued to an unspecified date the second week of January 2010.
Throughout his recent US trip, Shoaib made it clear to all of us--supporters and well wishers both inside and outside of the US government--that he "had to get back to Dhaka" for his November 11 court appearance. Yet, the court evidently did not give the matter the same level of seriousness. While several previous court dates seemed to indicate that the government might be looking to end Shoaib's ordeal, we have returned to the "hurry up and wait"mode that has characterized most of Shoaib's 73 court appearances.
As I have suggested as recently as last week, stringing out this onerous and admittedly false prosecution continues to punish Shoaib without forcing the government to do so on the basis of law of evidence. Nor does it risk angering Bangladeshi Islamists, who were the force behind this entire prosecution. The Bangladeshi government remains little more than their lackey.
Once again, politics, appeasement, and cowardice trump justice for the government of Bangladesh. It is absolutely unbelieveable that some people actually thought the Awami League government would be different. They should have listened to our warnings.
It looks like the Awami League government expects 2010 to be just like 2009. Shoaib was summoned to the courtroom on January 12, but the government's witness did not show. Did the court finally drop this case after the government again thumbed its nose at the rule of law? Of course they did not. They merely ignored the government's latest violation of law and set a new date of February 18, 2010. When will the Awami League realize that actions such as these only confirm to the rest of the civilized world that Bangladesh is not a nation where that supports the rule of law or a nation that wishes to join or partner with them.
What a surprise, the witness did not show at the February, so the judge--who clearly knows more about politics than the law--just re-scheduled for March. Can we really call Bangladesh a nation of laws?
So, Shoaib had to go to court, taking time money, and spending emotional capital in March--and April, and May, and June. And the witness failed to show in every instance, and the court simply continued the case each time instead of doing what any self-respecting jurist would do at this point and dismiss the charges. Getting Bangladesh to follow the rule of law will be our unwavering quest. Shoaib's next bogus court date is July 7, 2010.
The time has come to put a cap on this saga. More than six and a half years since his arrest, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury continues to publish his newspaper freely and openly. Government opposition and Islamist attacks have stopped. While the government has not dropped the charges against him, they stopped their active prosecution of the case--a process that began in January 2009 at the height of the Israel-Gaza War and which was heading toward a conclusion that certainly would have convicted Shoaib. His periodic calls to come to court at this point are perfunctory, which is where the Bangladeshi government seems content to leave things. What happens next is an internal matter between the legal authorities in Bangladesh and Shoaib Choudhury.
It is time to move forward to fight new battles that are raging around the world where Islamist radicals are expanding their hold and their oppression of Hindus in Bengal and of those young Indians who are hoping to build a society in which the people, as well as the government, are friendly to Israel.
Throughout his recent US trip, Shoaib made it clear to all of us--supporters and well wishers both inside and outside of the US government--that he "had to get back to Dhaka" for his November 11 court appearance. Yet, the court evidently did not give the matter the same level of seriousness. While several previous court dates seemed to indicate that the government might be looking to end Shoaib's ordeal, we have returned to the "hurry up and wait"mode that has characterized most of Shoaib's 73 court appearances.
As I have suggested as recently as last week, stringing out this onerous and admittedly false prosecution continues to punish Shoaib without forcing the government to do so on the basis of law of evidence. Nor does it risk angering Bangladeshi Islamists, who were the force behind this entire prosecution. The Bangladeshi government remains little more than their lackey.
Once again, politics, appeasement, and cowardice trump justice for the government of Bangladesh. It is absolutely unbelieveable that some people actually thought the Awami League government would be different. They should have listened to our warnings.
It looks like the Awami League government expects 2010 to be just like 2009. Shoaib was summoned to the courtroom on January 12, but the government's witness did not show. Did the court finally drop this case after the government again thumbed its nose at the rule of law? Of course they did not. They merely ignored the government's latest violation of law and set a new date of February 18, 2010. When will the Awami League realize that actions such as these only confirm to the rest of the civilized world that Bangladesh is not a nation where that supports the rule of law or a nation that wishes to join or partner with them.
What a surprise, the witness did not show at the February, so the judge--who clearly knows more about politics than the law--just re-scheduled for March. Can we really call Bangladesh a nation of laws?
So, Shoaib had to go to court, taking time money, and spending emotional capital in March--and April, and May, and June. And the witness failed to show in every instance, and the court simply continued the case each time instead of doing what any self-respecting jurist would do at this point and dismiss the charges. Getting Bangladesh to follow the rule of law will be our unwavering quest. Shoaib's next bogus court date is July 7, 2010.
The time has come to put a cap on this saga. More than six and a half years since his arrest, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury continues to publish his newspaper freely and openly. Government opposition and Islamist attacks have stopped. While the government has not dropped the charges against him, they stopped their active prosecution of the case--a process that began in January 2009 at the height of the Israel-Gaza War and which was heading toward a conclusion that certainly would have convicted Shoaib. His periodic calls to come to court at this point are perfunctory, which is where the Bangladeshi government seems content to leave things. What happens next is an internal matter between the legal authorities in Bangladesh and Shoaib Choudhury.
It is time to move forward to fight new battles that are raging around the world where Islamist radicals are expanding their hold and their oppression of Hindus in Bengal and of those young Indians who are hoping to build a society in which the people, as well as the government, are friendly to Israel.