|
Washington, DC – Seeking to end the persecution of a
Bangladeshi journalist, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a
resolution today introduced by U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Nita
Lowey (D-NY) which calls on the Government of Bangladesh to drop
sedition charges against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Choudhury
faces prosecution for his advocacy for interfaith dialogue between Jews
and Muslims, as well as articles he published critical of Islamic
extremism. Under Bangladeshi law, sedition is a crime punishable
by death.
“The Bangladeshi Government must cease its persecution of
Shoaib Choudhury,” said Congressman Kirk. “For his message of
moderation and interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Jews, he is
facing unjust criminal charges in an effort to silence his ideas.
The House of Representatives sent a clear message today – we cannot
allow an outspoken advocate for religious freedom to be quelled by
intolerance.”
“Mr. Choudhury is an invaluable voice of cooperation and
moderation in a world where extremism and prejudice too often dictate
the course of events,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “We must do
everything we can to ensure that Mr. Choudhury’s voice continues to be
heard and that this baseless campaign to punish him is abandoned.”
Choudhury was detained and his passport was seized in November
2003 at Zia International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on his way to
board a flight bound for Tel Aviv, Israel, to participate in the annual
Hebrew Writers Conference. On that same day, police raided his
home and newspaper, seizing files, and computers.
As Bangladeshi law prohibits travel to Israel, Mr. Choudhury was
cited for a minor passport violation. Subsequently, he was charged with
sedition, accused of espionage as an Israeli spy and incarcerated for
17 months.
Choudhury's prospects seemed bleak until his friend and Mount
Prospect, Ill., native, Dr. Richard Benkin, brought the case to the
attention of Congressman Kirk. Upon hearing Choudhury’s story,
Kirk met with Bangladeshi Ambassador to the United States, Shamsher
Chowdhury, and wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia calling for Choudhury’s
release. Choudhury was released on bail in April 2005.
Despite pledges from senior Bangladeshi government officials that
legal action against Choudhury would be dropped, the government pressed
forward with its prosecution of Choudhury for sedition. Choudhury’s
newspaper offices were bombed by Islamic extremists in July and he was
attacked by a mob in his office on October 5. A judge with
alleged ties to an Islamic extremist group ruled that Choudhury must
stand trial for sedition.
The American Jewish Committee has been working with U.S. Reps.
Kirk and Lowey on securing Choudhury's freedom. "The American Jewish
Committee commends Representatives Kirk and Lowey for their
introduction of a resolution calling upon the Bangladesh Government to
close the sedition case against Mr. Choudhury, investigate and hold
accountable those who have physically attacked him, and take steps to
protect him,” said Richard Foltin of the AJC. “In May 2006,
AJC presented Mr. Choudhury with its Moral Courage Award recognizing
his efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews and his
courage to speak the truth against Islamic extremism. It is a
scandal that Mr. Choudhury is being prosecuted for these very efforts
to build greater interfaith understanding. We urge the Government
of Bangladesh to act quickly in response to this resolution.”
A copy of the resolution is attached.
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the
House of Representatives that the Government of Bangladesh should
immediately drop all pending charges against Bangladeshi journalist
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.
Whereas Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi
journalist who, because of his beliefs in an interfaith dialogue
between Jews and Muslims and criticism of Islamic extremism, is on
trial for sedition, an offense punishable by death;
Whereas on November 29, 2003, Mr. Choudhury was arrested at
Zia International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on his way to board a
flight bound for Tel Aviv; Mr. Choudhury’s passport was seized, along
with considerable sums of money and several personal items; on that
same day police raided Mr. Choudhury’s home and newspaper offices,
seizing files, computers, and other valuables;
Whereas Mr. Choudhury was detained in Dhaka Central Jail for
a passport violation, then subsequently charged with sedition; Mr.
Choudhury suffered harsh interrogation techniques and received no
treatment for a debilitating case of glaucoma; Mr. Choudhury’s
incarceration lasted 17 months without legal recourse;
Whereas on April 30, 2005, after intervention by the United
States Department of State and congressional offices, Mr. Choudhury was
released on bail;
Whereas in the subsequent months, senior members of the
Bangledeshi Government made continuous public promises that there was
no substance to Mr. Choudhury’s pending charges and that all charges
would be dropped;
Whereas on September 29, 2005, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the ‘‘Freedom to Write Award’’ by PEN USA;
Whereas on May 5, 2006, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the
American Jewish Committee’s Moral Courage Award in absentia in
Washington, D.C.; two days prior to Mr. Choudhury receiving the award,
after returning Mr. Choudhury’s passport and appearing to allow him to
attend, senior Bangladeshi Government officials issued threats to
prevent him from leaving the country;
Whereas on September 18, 2006, a judge with alleged ties to
an Islamic extremist party ruled that Mr. Choudhury will stand trial
for sedition; the judge made this ruling despite the Public
Prosecutor’s testimony in court days before that the government did not
have evidence and would not object to the charges being dropped;
Whereas members of the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom visited with Mr. Choudhury on their
trip to Bangladesh in February and March 2006;
Whereas on October 6, 2006, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom wrote a letter to U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A.
Boucher calling on the United States Government to strengthen the
‘‘voices of moderation’’ in countries like Bangladesh where the rule of
law, democratic institutions, and respect for human rights are under
assault by violent extremists; the Commission identified Mr. Choudhury
as one of those voices that should not be silenced;
Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2005 Country
Report
on Human Rights Practices in Bangladesh, ‘‘Attacks on journalists and
newspapers, and government efforts to intimidate them, political party
activists, and others, occurred frequently.’’; and
Whereas moderate voices in the Muslim world must be
supported and protected to advance the security of the United States
and its allies:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) the Government of Bangladesh should immediately drop all
pending charges against Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib
Choudhury;
(2) the Government of Bangladesh should immediately return all of Mr. Choudhury’s confiscated possessions; and
(3) the Government of Bangladesh should cease harassment and
intimidation of Mr. Choudhury and take steps to protect Mr. Choudhury. |
