Bangladesh: Update to Response to Information Request BGD17212.E of 4 May 1994, on the treatment of Jatiya Party (JP) members by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the state authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGD21751.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bangladesh: Update to Response to Information Request BGD17212.E of 4 May 1994, on the treatment of Jatiya Party (JP) members by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the state authorities, 1 September 1995, BGD21751.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab285c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please consult the attachments for information on the treatment of Jatiya Party (JP) members by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the state authorities.
The attachments from the United States Department of State's Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA) publication Bangladesh: Comments on Country Conditions and Asylum Claims and Australia's Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section publication Country Profile: Bangladesh provide general information on the treatment of the JP by the BNP, the government and the police.
Several sources provide information on the BNP and the government's frequent interference with "opposition rallies and public meetings" (Country Reports 1994 1995, 1209; RIAS July 1994, 19; OAA Dec. 1994, 5). Country Reports 1994 also gives an example of the police's breaking up of a planned Jatiya Party rally on 23 August 1994 due to the lack of a necessary permit (1995, 1209). However, the RIAS attachment states that,
[p]ermits are not required for political meetings in Bangladesh. Dhaka City Corporation charges a fee for outdoor meetings at certain venues, regardless of whether the meetings are political" (July 1994, 4).
The Agence France Presse (AFP) and Xinhua attachments provide information on violent confrontations between police and JP members during a 23 August 1994 rally (AFP 23 Aug. 1994; Xinhua 23 Aug. 1994) and a 27 June 1995 half-day strike during which JP members went on a "rampage" (AFP 27 June 1995).
The three Bangladesh Observer attachments refer to the 5 July 1995 killing of Swapan Kumar Ghosh, a leader of the Jatiya Chhatra Samaj (JCS), in Mymensingh town by BNP activists (7 July 1995a, 1, 12; 7 July 1995b, 12; 9 July 1995, 1). According to OAA, the JCS is the youth organization of the JP (Dec. 1994, 6).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 27 June 1995. "Vehicles Burn and Clashes Escalate in Bangladeshi Strike." (NEXIS)
_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 23 August 1994. "'At Least' 100 Ershad Supporters Injured by Police." (FBIS-NES-94-164 24 Aug. 1994, p. 50)
The Bangladesh Observer [Dhaka]. 9 July 1995. "JP Workers Urged to Strengthen Movement."
_____. 7 July 1995a. "JP Blames BNP for Killing Swapan."
_____. 7 July 1995b. "Killing of Swapan Condemned."
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. December 1994. Bangladesh: Comments on Country Conditions and Asylum Claims. Washington, DC: United States Department of State.
Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. July 1994. Country Profile: Bangladesh. Parkes, ACT, Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Xinhua News Agency. 23 August 1994. "Police Action on Public Rally in Dhaka Condemned." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 27 June 1995. "Vehicles Burn and Clashes Escalate in Bangladeshi Strike." (NEXIS)
_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 23 August 1994. "'At Least' 100 Ershad Supporters Injured by Police." (FBIS-NES-94-164 24 Aug. 1994, p. 50)
The Bangladesh Observer [Dhaka]. 9 July 1995. "JP Workers Urged to Strengthen Movement," p. 1.
_____. 7 July 1995a. "JP Blames BNP for Killing Swapan," pp. 1, 12.
_____. 7 July 1995b. "Killing of Swapan Condemned," p. 1.
Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. December 1994. Bangladesh: Comments on Country Conditions and Asylum Claims. Washington, DC: United States Department of State, pp. 4-9.
Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. July 1994. Country Profile: Bangladesh. Parkes, ACT, Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, pp. 4, 16-17, 19-21.
The Xinhua News Agency. 23 August 1994. "Police Action on Public Rally in Dhaka Condemned." (NEXIS)