A human-chain protest demanded justice over the shooting death of Bangladeshi expatriate student Sayed Arif Faisal in the US during an American official's visit to Dhaka.
The demonstration started at noon on Monday in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, the US National Security Council's senior director for South Asia, was scheduled to visit the ministry at 2 pm. She arrived in the capital on Saturday for a four-day visit, reports bdnews24.com.
On Jan 4, Faisal, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was shot dead by police in the city of Cambridge.
A day later, the Bangladesh Association of New England organised a protest outside Cambridge City Hall. Faisal’s family has also called for justice over his death.
A hundred or so protesters gathered outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to form a human chain on Monday. They were holding signs that read ‘Human Rights are Violated in the US Today’, ‘Justice for Faisal’, ‘Bangladeshi killed in the US, why is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs silent?’ and ‘Stop Violations of Human Rights’.
The protesters want the foreign ministry and Bangladesh missions to protest violations of Bangladeshis’ human rights wherever they happen, according to journalist Ajoy Dasgupta, who took part in the protest.
“We do not want our human rights to be violated anywhere,” he said. “The US speaks about human rights violations in other countries. We call upon them to take notice of what is happening in their own country. The Washington Post says police kill 1,000 people a year there.”
“We say to the US – do not close your eyes to the killings of these 1,000 people.”
The Ekushey Padak-winning journalist continued: “You [the US] cannot do what you like in this country. You do not need to stick your nose into our affairs. You need to be vocal about the human rights of your own citizens.”
Hasibur Rahman Manik, councillor for Ward-26 in the Dhaka South City Corporation, was also attending the protest. Asked whether the demonstration was organised to coincide with the US official’s visit, he said the protest was held outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so the world would take notice.
“We are the common people. We are protesting because one of our Bangalee brothers was cruelly killed. They have violated human rights. The US always goes on about human rights. But a Bangalee had his human rights violated in the US. If they allow this to happen, what kind of human rights record is that?”
“We want the world to hear this. If something happens in our country, foreign diplomats protest it. Let diplomats from different countries protest now. We are protesting so that the message spreads to every part of the world.”
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen arrived in the area after the protest ended. These kinds of protests are not ‘encouraging’, he told the media.
“I don’t know much about the situation,” he said.
“Such incidents in the US are investigated and justice is done,” he said. “They have the rule of law. We believe there will be justice in this case after it has been investigated.”
“I’ve heard [the media] saying the protest was timed to coincide with the visit,” State Minister Shahriar Alam told reporters afterwards. “I don't know who organised the protest. But the US senior director’s visit was never scheduled for 11 am.”
Her meeting with the secretary of foreign affairs was always meant to take place in the afternoon, he added.
“I was not able to learn details of who was part of the protest. Those who were involved could have informed us by sending a letter."
The Bangladesh embassy in Washington has already raised the matter with the US administration, according to the state minister.
“The US government has assured us that justice will be done and that the police officer who shot and killed the Bangladeshi student will be temporarily suspended or removed from his duties.”
“We have been informed that this has happened. We hope, as they do, that a Bangladeshi citizen will get justice there. I do not know the details about the human rights situation, but I may learn more if I read up on the matter.”