CAT/C/32/D/243/2004
Page 3
1.2
The Special Rapporteur on New Communication rejected the complainant’s
request for interim measures on 21 January 2004.
The facts as submitted by the complainant:
2.1
The complainant worked as a Joint Secretary for the Bangladesh National Party
(hereinafter referred to as the BNP) in the district of Sutrapur Dhaka. He arranged
political meetings, distributed leaflets and otherwise made propaganda for the
BNP. His political work made him a well-known character in Bangladesh. His
brother, who was also involved in politics, is said to have been killed by
supporters of the rival political party Awami League in January 1996.
2.2
In 1997, Mr. S.A. participated in a demonstration against the Awami League. He
was arrested together with several other persons, and allegedly subjected to torture
for two days. In September 1999, while participating in a meeting organised by the
BNP, he was again arrested for five days and subjected to torture. The police
threatened him to stop his political activity.
2.3
In February 2001, policemen and Awami League supporters allegedly kidnapped
the complainant. He was blindfolded, but was aware that his kidnappers brought
him to the Sutrapur police station in Dhaka. During the three days’ arrest, he was
subjected to torture, and urged to withdraw from his involvement in politics, and
to tell his mother to drop the murder accusations in the case of his brother.
2.4
The complainant claims that a group of policemen tried to shoot him in March
2001, and that he was falsely accused of murder on 17 October 2000. He
subsequently escaped to Sweden, where he applied for asylum to the Migration
Board on 11 April 2001. His application was rejected on 11 June 2001, on the
basis that the Board did not consider that there was any risk of persecution or
torture upon his return to Bangladesh, and that the allegedly false murder
accusations would eventually be dealt with in fair and objective proceedings. His
appeal to the Aliens Appeal Board was rejected on 25 November 2002.