[Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and rights protests, Pakistan - Bangladesh - Sri Lanka, Apr-Aug 2008

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/


PAKISTAN:
*  Lawyers' protest reaches Islamabad
*  Balakot family threaten to self-immolate over police abuse
*  Sharif supporters protest election ban
*  Suicide bomber targets police
*  Women protest at Red Mosque
*  Journalists protest state attack on Geo News
*  Islamabad protest by relatives of disappeared
*  Protests, rallies mark anniversary of Bhutto unrest
*  Activists protest false case
*  Protesters demand release of missing persons

BANGLADESH
*  Student activists fight police, demand release of ex-PM
*  Protests against attack on journalist
*  University teachers protest attack on speaker

SRI LANKA
*  INDIA/SRI LANKA:  Fisherfolk protest against attacks by Sri Lankan navy, 
mass arrests
*  Journalists protest abduction and torture of colleague

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-06/2008-06-14-voa9.cfm?CFID=22186099&CFTOKEN=31805322

Pakistani Lawyers'  Protest Culminates in Islamabad
By VOA News
14 June 2008

Pakistani lawyers, activists, rights workers gather in front of Presidential 
Palace in Islamabad, early 14 Jun 2008
Tens of thousands of Pakistani lawyers and activists descended on Islamabad 
Friday, demanding the reinstatement of judges ousted by President Pervez 
Musharraf.

The protesters' so-called "long march" began in Karachi earlier this week 
with a procession of vehicles traveling across the country. It culminated in 
the capital Friday, ending well past midnight, following a sit-in outside 
Pakistan's parliament building.

Former prime minister and head of the Muslim League-Nawaz party, Nawaz 
Sharif told the crowd that President Musharraf would be held accountable for 
removing the judges. The protesters responded with cheers and chants of, 
"hang Musharraf."

Pakistani authorities deployed hundreds of police and placed barbed wire and 
security cameras around key buildings in the capital to discourage violent 
protests.

Lawyers decided to hold the mass protest after the coalition government 
failed to meet a self-imposed May 12 deadline to restore the judiciary.

The two main groups in Pakistan's ruling coalition - Mr. Sharif's party and 
the Pakistan People's Party led by Asif Ali Zardari - remain deadlocked on 
how to restore the judges.

Mr. Sharif wants an unconditional reinstatement, while Zardari wants to link 
reinstatement to constitutional amendments.

President Musharraf declared a state of emergency in November and purged the 
Supreme Court, in order to halt any legal challenges to his presidency.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23643864-25837,00.html

Pakistan lawyers in fresh protests
Font Size: Decrease Increase
Print Page: Print
Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent | May 05, 2008
PAKISTAN'S powerful lawyers' movement was preparing to return to the streets 
overnight in a drive to thwart a bizarre plan to solve the country's 
political crisis by reinstating judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf 
while retaining the "toadies" he appointed to replace them.
The plan - which could see the country end up with two chief justices and a 
Supreme Court swollen from the constitutional limit of 17 to 27 - was 
disclosed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif after days of horse-trading 
with Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, the major 
party in the new ruling coalition.
The crisis has come close to toppling the Government, with Mr Sharif's 
Pakistan Muslim League (N) threatening to quit the coalition if Mr Zardari 
does not agree to keep a promise to restore the judges.
But with a new deadline of May 12 set for the judges' reinstatement, Mr 
Sharif has disclosed Mr Zardari's plan to give the so-called "defiant" 
judges - those sacked and, in some instances, arrested by Mr Musharraf - 
their old jobs back, while retaining the "compliant" or "usurper" judges 
appointed in their place.
This would mean that while deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry would 
return to head the Supreme Court, his replacement and deadly enemy who 
validated the state of emergency, Hameed Dogar, would be retained on the 
same bench.
Other so-called "PCO judges" - those who complied and took an oath of 
allegiance to Mr Musharraf in terms of the Provisional Constitutional Order 
he promulgated with the state of emergency - would also be retained, 
expanding the size of the Supreme Court bench from 17 to 27.
But reports yesterday said the new court could, at the President's 
insistence, issue an order overturning any parliamentary resolution calling 
for the reinstatement of the deposed judges.
The Pakistan Bar Council warned of intensified action that could cause a 
replay of the mass street demonstrations that eventually forced Mr Musharraf 
to hold the election that brought the coalition to power.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?203062

Lawyers hold protest rally from Parliament to Supreme Court
Thursday July 10, 2008 (2150 PST)

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of lawyers belonging to different Bar Associations of 
Punjab staged a protest rally from parliament house to Supreme Court for the 
restoration of the sacked judges and supremacy of judiciary, the activists 
of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamat Islami JI also participated in 
the rally.
Sources informed that the lawyers belonging to Attock, Jhang, Taxila, 
Multan, Sialkot, Jehlum, Gujrat, Murree, Islamabad and Rawalpindi Bar 
Associations staged protest rally from parliament house to Supreme Court 
while uprooting the barbed wires and restrictions as created by the police 
on the constitution avenue.
The furious lawyers foiled every bid to restrict them while leading to 
Supreme Court and vehemently chanted slogans against the PCO judges, 
President Musharraf and PPP and demanded for the restoration of the sacked 
judiciary before the parliament house.
While addressing the rally Hamid Ali khan informed that the deposed judges 
could be restored by simple resolution of the parliament, yet the PPP led 
Government has deliberately complicated the situation by introducing 
constitutional package and has hurt the feelings of the masses by taking "U 
Turn" from the Murree declaration, he added.
He further reiterated, " We will hold more long marches and will not deviate 
from further sacrifices for the reinstatement of the sacked judges" and will 
restore the supremacy of law and constitution in Pakistan.
The president of Rawalpindi High Court Bar Sardar Asmattullah Khan while 
addressing the participants of the rally appreciated the lawyers huge 
gathering, which has defeated the statements that the lawyers have lost 
their strength after the long march and have also ended the confusion among 
the masses related to the lawyers movement.
While encouraging the participants from Multan Bar association in the 
scorching heat, he termed it as a victory of the lawyers' movement who 
gathered before the parliament house in large numbers at the call of the 
lawyers' movement leaders.
The other Bar Associations presidents while addressing on the occasion 
reiterated that the struggle as continuing in the country for the 
restoration of sacked judges will also continue in future unless the 
sovereignty of the constitution and the judiciary in the country and the 
time has approached when PML (N) has to decide either they are with lawyers 
or with Zardari, as the masses could not be fooled any more and the lawyers 
will come to Islamabad again in caravans and will not retreat unless the 
restoration of deposed judges.
The Rawalpindi High Court bar has also arranged the meal for the 
participants of the protest rally after the rally termination.
End.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/13/2274495.htm?section=world

Lawyers march to Islamabad protesting judge sackings
Posted Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:04pm AEST
Thousands of lawyers and their supporters in Pakistan are converging on the 
capital Islamabad to demand the reinstatement of judges dismissed by 
President Pervez Musharraf last November.
The lawyers started their "long march" to the capital on Monday and are 
travelling in several hundred cars and buses, stopping along the way to 
rally support for their cause.
They are chanting slogans against Mr Musharraf, but this time their focus is 
also the newly elected Government.
They are demanding that it keep its promise to reinstate the sacked judges 
swiftly and without conditions.
So far the Government has missed two deadlines and the lawyers are getting 
impatient.
The authorities are nervous about potential violence, but both sides say 
they do not want that and they have reached agreement on a designated route 
through the city.
In the meantime the Government has set up barricades around the presidency 
and parliament buildings and brought in extra security forces.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=116122

Balakot family protests police high-handedness Monday, June 02, 2008
By our correspondent

MINGORA: Members of a family from Balakot area on Sunday threatened 
self-immolation outside the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police 
in Saidu Sharif if they were not provided justice.

Accusing the Charbagh police of high-handedness and seeking exemplary 
punishment for the policemen allegedly involved in the illegal action, two 
brothers, Aziz-ur-Rehman and Habib-ur-Rehaman, told media men that ASI Said 
Karim, along with a police team, entered their house without any arrest 
warrant and ladies police and used abusive language against members of their 
family.

"The cops tied our five family members with ropes and tortured us in the 
lock-up of the police station," they said, alleging that police official had 
taken Rs 70,000 as bribe from their rivals with whom they had a land 
dispute. They accused the police of torture while their opponents were 
roaming freely. They said the police also took away their weapons, which 
they had for their protection. Narrating their ordeal, the brothers added 
that their family members were kept in unlawful detention, insulted and even 
implicated in a case.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/sharifs-supporters-protest-court-ruling-pakistan

Sharif's supporters protest court ruling in Pakistan

Supoprters of Nawaz Sharif, the former Pakistani Prime Minister, burned 
effigies today against a court ruling that bars Sharif from running in this 
weeks' parliamentary by-elections.
Here is a link to a picture of the violence:
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Parliament that the 
government would ask the Supreme Court to block Sharif's disqualification 
and postpone the vote in Sharif's district scheduled for Thursday.
The court ruling has exacerbated tensions between Sharif's party, the 
Pakistan Muslim League-N, and its larger partner in the ruling coalition, 
the Pakistan People's Party.
Bickering over the restoration of judges ousted by President Pervez 
Musharraf last year has undermined their young government, whose cooperation 
is considered key to the U.S.-led war on terror.
A successful move by the government to clear Sharif's path could cool the 
tensions between the parties.
Scores of angry Sharif backers demonstrated outside the parliament building 
in Islamabad, while lawmakers from Sharif's party walked out of the National 
Assembly in protest.
In Sharif's hometown of Lahore, about 600 protesters burned tires in the 
city center. Hundreds protested in the central city of Multan, where they 
burned an effigy of Musharraf and one representing the judges he installed.
Sharif party spokesman Sadiqul Farooq said Tuesday that the party would not 
appeal the Lahore High Court's Monday ruling because it lacks confidence in 
the judiciary.
However, Law Minister Farooq Naek - like Gilani a People's Party member - 
said the government would step in and petition the Supreme Court later 
Tuesday or Wednesday to block the decision.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman said a favorable ruling could also help 
heal the rift in the coalition.
"We want to keep the alliance intact and we are in contact with our allies. 
We want the public to know the government stance, that we want to strengthen 
the democracy," she said.
Sharif, who was deposed by Musharraf in a 1999 coup, is now the most popular 
politician in Pakistan.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-07-06-voa24.cfm?rss=war

Suicide Bomber Targets Police in Pakistan's Capital
By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
06 July 2008

Authorities in Pakistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least 15 people 
and injured more than 22 others in a central part of the country's capital 
city. Most of the victims were policemen. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.

Aftermath of the Islamabad suicide bombing, 06 Jul 2008
The suicide bomber struck a group of policemen who were guarding a big 
meeting of Islamic activists in the center of the Pakistani capital.

The religious gathering was marking the one-year anniversary of a military 
crackdown on Islamabad's radical Red Mosque, just few hundred meters away.

Witnesses say most of the deaths happened instantly and body parts, pools of 
blood as well as police caps littered the scene.

A top official at the federal Interior Ministry, Kamal Shah, says the attack 
is being investigated, but he dismissed criticism poor security arrangements 
led to the deadly bombing

"An individual coming and exploding himself, blowing up himself is difficult 
to prevent," said Kamal Shah. "This has happened in other countries of the 
world.  It is not [happening] only in Pakistan."

Speaking at a ceremony in the southern city of Karachi hours after the 
blast, President Pervez Musharraf condemned it as a terrorist act.

"I condemn that with all my force and I must say that this nation has to 
show resolve to fight such extremism and terrorism and defeat it," said 
Pervez Musharraf.

Doctors have described conditions of some of those wounded in the attack as 
critical, saying the death toll could go up.

The suicide bombing occurred just after several-thousand participants of the 
religious gathering started dispersing. The crowed had gathered to condemn 
the army raid on the Red Mosque complex that killed more than 100 people on 
July 10 last year.

Speakers at the meeting criticized President Pervez Musharraf for ordering 
the assault under pressure from the United States. The protesters chanted 
anti-Musharraf and anti-American slogans.

Pro-Taliban militants supportive of the radical mosque unleashed a wave of 
deadly suicide bombings across Pakistan in the past year to avenge the 
operation. Most of the victims of the violence have been security personnel.

The crackdown against the mosque was launched after its clerics and 
religious students ignored official warnings to end their violent campaign 
to enforce Taliban-style rule in parts of the Pakistani capital. The 
extremists kidnapped women they accused of prostitution, including some 
Chinese nationals, and warned traders against running music and video shops.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7497339.stm

Wednesday, 9 July 2008 13:03 UK

Women in Pakistan mosque protest

The women shouted slogans in support of jihad
Hundreds of Islamist women have held a protest outside the Red Mosque in the 
Pakistani capital, Islamabad, to demand the reconstruction of a seminary.
It was destroyed in July 2007 when Pakistani troops stormed the building to 
evict armed militants.
The protesters - some carrying babies - shouted slogans in support of jihad 
(holy war) and heard fiery speeches.
More than 100 people were killed in the fighting to evict militants who had 
taken sanctuary there, the army said.
'Jihad'
"Our mujahideen [fighters] laid down their lives for the enforcement of the 
Islamic system in Pakistan. We are left behind to carry forward their 
mission," Umme Hassan, the daughter of former chief cleric Abdul Aziz, told 
the rally within the mosque's compound.
He was arrested during the siege last year as he tried to evade capture by 
slipping through a police cordon dressed as a woman.

Many people died when the mosque was stormed a year ago
The burka-clad women responded to the speech with chants such as "jihad is 
our way!"
They say that they will continue to hold their classes in the open at the 
side of the seminary until it is rebuilt.
The first anniversary of the storming of the mosque is on 10 July. A similar 
protest by several thousand men was held on Sunday.
Shortly after the rally ended, a suicide bomber attacked police who had been 
guarding the gathering killing 18 people, all but three of them policemen.
Correspondents says that Wednesday's protest was mostly peaceful despite the 
fiery rhetoric of Umme Hassan.
"We should prepare our children and men for jihad," she said.
The crowd responded by chanting of "we are ready" and "al jihad".
Mr Aziz's brother, deputy mosque leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi, was killed when 
the compound was stormed.
The raid on the mosque triggered a series of revenge suicide bombings and 
other attacks by militants across Pakistan, killing hundreds of people.
The mosque has long had a reputation for radicalism, mostly attracting 
hard-line Islamic students from North West Frontier Province and tribal 
areas where support for the Taleban and al-Qaeda is strong.
The Jamia Hafsa madrassa, a religious school for women, is attached to the 
mosque and a male madrassa is nearby. Several thousand students are housed 
at the two seminaries despite the damage from the fighting of last July.
The mosque has been the centre of a hard-line Islamic student movement which 
has been vocal in its criticism of government policies.
In past years, it has often been favoured by the city's elite, including 
prime ministers, army chiefs and presidents.
In July 2005, Pakistani security forces tried to raid the mosque following 
suicide bombings earlier that month in London, but were turned back by 
baton-wielding women students.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=118477

Journalists protest curbs on Geo News Saturday, June 14, 2008
Noor Aftab

Islamabad

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and Pakistan Federal Union 
of Journalists (PFUJ) Friday jointly held a protest demonstration in front 
of the Parliament House against media curbs on Geo News, a leading news 
channel in the country.

Addressing the protesting journalists, the speakers strongly condemned the 
dropping of two popular talk shows - Capital Talk and Mere Mutabik - and 
vowed to resist any move aimed at imposing restrictions on a free media.

PFUJ General Secretary Mazhar Abbas while speaking on the occasion said free 
media was a result of continuous and tireless struggle by media persons. He 
emphasised the need to expose those elements, who asked a foreign country to 
stop transmission of Geo News in order to deprive people of their 
fundamental right to get timely and accurate news.

RIUJ General Secretary Afzal Butt said numbers of journalists have 
sacrificed their lives for an independent media and no one would be allowed 
to restrict them from doing their professional duties.

Bureau Chief of Geo News channel Absar Alam said free media was the basic 
right of the people and those who wanted to suppress independent voices were 
not well-wishers of the country. He said the Western countries strongly 
supported independent media in their own countries so they must be conscious 
about it in the country like Pakistan.

Host of a popular talk show 'Capital Talk' Hamid Mir said that the curbs on 
media could not stop the journalists to present the true picture of state of 
affairs before the general public.

Representatives of Hazara Awami Ittehad, Umar Asghar Khan Foundation, Ulema 
Ahle Sunnat and prominent poet Ahmed Faraz also participated in the 
demonstration.

http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp080723102505.5fpzalj3p0&show_article=1

Pakistani families of missing persons stage a protest in Islamabad

Pakistani families of missing persons stage a protest in Islamabad in 2007. 
Human rights group Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to reveal 
the details of hundreds of so-called enforced disappearances during the 
US-led "war on terror".

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=112280

Protests, rallies mark first anniversary Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Karachi

The first anniversary of the May 12 carnage in Karachi was marked by 
protests, demonstrations and rallies by various quarters on Monday. The 
Karachi Bar Association (KBA) staged a peaceful rally amidst tight security 
from City Courts to Karachi Press Club, while the All Pakistan Democratic 
Movement (APDM) also held a 'black day' demonstration at Regal Chowk. 
Another demonstration was held by the Labour Party of Pakistan (LPP) at the 
KPC where activists lit oil lamps in remembrance of those who fell victim to 
the violence that gripped the entire city on May 12, 2007.

Prior to the KBA rally, DIG South Iqbal Mehmood had a detailed meeting with 
KBA office-bearers regarding security arrangements made around city courts. 
Unusual security was in place all around the City Courts and all entry and 
exit points being cordoned off, while lanes adjacent to the courts were also 
barricaded by containers and no vehicular traffic was allowed to move within 
the vicinity. Even the vehicles of journalists covering the event were 
barred from entering by-lanes near the courts.

When the DIG South was asked about the extra security arrangements, he 
replied, "We do not want May 12 last and April 9 this year be repeated, as 
it is the right of every citizen to register his/her voice by taking out 
rally or by any other means."

Lawyers from the city courts proceeded to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) via 
the Sindh High Court (SHC), where SHC lawyers joined them. The legal 
fraternity from Malir Courts also assembled at the KPC.

The legal representatives chanted slogans against President Musharaf 
demanding that he step down as he had pushed country totally into the dark. 
Speaking to the participants of rally outside Karachi Press Club, Rasheed 
Razvi President, Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) reminded the 
Federal Information Minister, Sherry Rahman that last year her car was also 
hit by a stray bullet, adding, "we would neither forget May 12 nor April 9 
when the legal representatives braved the brutality of the miscreants. The 
only difference is that last year it was the 'gundas' who besieged the 
entire city. This year, lawyers were burnt alive, with law-enforcing 
agencies complacently looking on."

"We have no hidden interest as lawyers are struggling for rule of law and 
against injustice," he said and asked lawyers to remain united and prepare 
for a more crucial struggle to be started by May 16, 2008. A black flag was 
hoisted and lawyers wore black wristbands.

PPI adds: Central leader of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) and 
Naib Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Liaquat Baloch, has said that the PPP has 
shared power with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which is involved in 
the bloodshed of May 12, 2007, April 9 and killings of political and social 
personalities.

He said this on Monday while addressing a protest rally in connection with 
the 'black day' at Regal Chowk, to mark the killing of 50 political 
activists on the arrival of the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) 
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry on May 12, 2007 in Karachi.

The rally started from the Empress Market and ended at the Regal Chowk. 
Baloch said that a million of people had come to show solidarity with 
lawyers' fraternity and for giving reception to the deposed chief justice on 
Sharah-e-Faisal, but, he alleged, President Pervez Musharraf used a militant 
wing in Karachi.

Baloch demanded that the government to break the coalition with the MQM and 
award death sentences to those responsible for the May 12 carnage. The JI 
leader said that workers of JI, PPP, PML-N, PTI and ANP were killed on May 
12, adding media watched the workers of MQM with their party flag, who were 
freely moving and firing on innocent people, but not a single FIR had been 
lodged in this regard. -PPI

MQM holds Qur'aan Khwani for May 12 victims: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement 
(MQM) held Qur'aan Khwani for the martyrs of May 12 mayhem at Lal Qila 
ground Azizabad on Monday. The first death anniversary was held for the 14 
martyrs of MQM who lost their lives on May 1, 2007.

The MQM Rabita Committee members attended the Qur'aan Khwani and prayed 
almighty Allah to place the departed soul in eternal peace and give courage 
to the families to bear the tragic losses.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=125075

PML-Q holds protest against 'fake case' Saturday, July 19, 2008
Khalid Iqbal

Rawalpindi

District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas here on Friday said that he was ready to 
hand himself over to the City Police.

He stated this in response to a FIR registered against him by a PML-N's 
Zaib-un-Nisa. In the FIR registered under Sections 506, 354 and 109 with the 
Civil Lines Police Station, the opposition member alleged that the district 
nazim and Gujar Khan Nazim Raja Irfan slapped her during the District 
Council budget session here on July 16.

Hundreds of PML-Q supporters, with black bands around their arms, including 
former provincial law minister Raja Basharat, Raja Nasir, Potohar Town Nazim 
Raja Hamid Nawaz, District Naib Nazim Afzal Khokhar, Rawal Town Nazim Shaikh 
Rashid Shafiq, accompanied Raja Javed Ikhlas when he went to the City Police 
Officer's office to hand himself over. However police did not allow anybody 
to enter the premises.

Police baton-charged demonstrators, injuring three female lawmakers of 
PML-Q - Noureen Akhtar, Shama Mehmood and Sabina Raja.

Talking to journalists, District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas said, "I am not 
guilty and the FIR registered against me is false."

He condemned the behaviour of opposition members in the district council, 
saying that they should have behaved properly during the budget 
presentation. "I am ready to face every kind of situation, however, I would 
not allow anybody to take law into his or her hands," he said. "I am ready 
to hand myself over to police for further investigation," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, former provincial law minister Raja Basharat 
condemned what he called vindictive attitude of the government. "Everyone 
should face criticism because it is part of life. If anyone has a problem, 
they should hold talks rather than registering a fake FIR against the 
sitting district nazim," he added.

The PML-Q district council, Rawal Town and Potohar Town members would hold a 
demonstration on Murree Road on July 20 to mark their protest over the 
"registration of a fake FIR against the district nazim."

PML-Q's Noureen Akhtar, who was injured during the baton-charge, told 'The 
News' that police should not have used force against females. She urged 
police authorities to take against those personnel who baton-charged them.

Another victim of the baton-charge, Shama Mahmood accused PML-N's 
Zaib-un-Nisa of using contacts in her party for "registering a fake FIR 
against the district nazim."

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=110816

Protesters demand release of missing persons Tuesday, May 06, 2008
A large number of protestors demanded on Monday that the government ensure 
the release of Wahid Qambar, Fazul Karmi Baloch and Mohammed Iqbal Baloch, 
whose detention was been shown after they had been missing for a year. 
During that year they were allegedly in the custody of security agencies.

Qambar was picked up by personnel from security agencies in Tamp, 
Balochistan on March 14, 2007. After reportedly being kept at various 
torture camps, Qambar was officially shown on April 21, 2008, to be under 
the custody of the Punjpai police - 30 miles from Quetta. On the day after 
he resurfaced, however, Qambar was again handed over to another security 
agency in Quetta. Since then there had been no news of his whereabouts.

Another activist, Faiz Mohammed Baloch, who was also picked up along with 
Qambar and kept at torture camps, was released from Turbat jail.The 
protestors also urged human rights bodies to take the issue of missing 
Baloch youth to an international level on a humanitarian basis so that they 
could be released soon.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-bangladesh-protest,0,3963758.story

Student activists clash with police to demand Bangladesh's detained ex-PM's 
release
By FARID HOSSAIN | Associated Press Writer
7:14 AM EDT, August 25, 2008
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Stone-throwing protesters clashed with riot police 
and smashed vehicles Monday to demand the release of Bangladesh's former 
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is being held on corruption charges, news 
reports said.

The violence left one person dead and several others injured, United News of 
Bangaldesh reported.

Police used batons to disperse the dozens of protesters who tried to take to 
the streets, defying emergency rules banning such protests, the agency 
reported.

The protesters were from the student front of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist 
Party, the report said.
It said the protests occurred on the campus of Dhaka University and its 
adjoining areas.

The activists threw stones at riot police during the protest in central 
Dhaka.

There was no immediate reports of injury.

Zia served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. She has been held at a 
makeshift prison in Dhaka's parliament compound since September last year on 
corruption charges.

Zia is accused of misusing her power by awarding contracts to a local 
company, Global Agro Trade Company, when she was in office in 2003.

The complaint said Zia's administration did not follow standard procedure in 
awarding the company work involving two cargo terminals, one in Dhaka's 
Kamalapur Railway Station and another in the country's main Chittagong 
seaport.

She faces three other charges of extortion.

She has rejected the charges as a move to tarnish her political image.

Bangladesh has been ruled since mid-January last year by an interim 
government installed by the military after 30 people were killed in 
political clashes following the end of Zia's term.

The government, led by a former central bank governor, has vowed to fight 
corruption, reform electoral rules and clean up the nation's factional and 
often violent politics before holding the next elections scheduled for 
December this year.

Bangladesh, an impoverished nation of 150 million people, has been ranked as 
one of the world's most corrupt countries by the Berlin-based 
anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=92822

BANGLADESH: More protests against attack on Star reporter
Journalists demand immediate arrest and punishment of jail guards for attack
The Daily Star
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Journalists in Mymensingh, Dinajpur and Satkhira yesterday protested 
barbarous attack on The Daily Star Tangail Correspondent Mirza Shakil while 
performing duty on Tangail jail compound on Saturday.
They demanded immediate arrest and punishment to the culprits involved in 
the attack.
Our Mymensingh Correspondent reports: Journalist leaders termed the attack 
barbaric saying the attack is a violation of human rights.
Our Dinajpur Correspondent reports: A protest meeting was held at Dinajpur 
Press Club in the afternoon. Press Club president Chitta Ghosh presided.
Our Satkhira Correspondent reports: Local newsmen at a statement issued here 
in the afternoon demanded judicial inquiry into the incident and arrest and 
punishment to the culprits.
Date Posted: 5/27/2008

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=46283

201 RU teachers protest attack on FF
RU Correspondent

Some 201 teachers of Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday strongly protested 
the assault on a freedom fighter by Jamaat-Shibir cadres at a programme in 
Dhaka recently.

In a joint statement, they also demanded punishment to Jamaat-Shibir cadres 
involved in the attack and a ban on 'Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad' backed by 
Jamaat-e-Islami.

Freedom fighter Sheikh Mohammad Ali Aman was assaulted by Jamaat-Shibir 
cadres as he called for trial of the war criminals at the programme of 
'Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad'. A journalist was also harassed by the 
Jamaat-Shibir cadres at that time.

The incident of attack is testimony to how the Jamaat men tortured the 
people during the liberation war, the teachers said in the statement.

They also expressed concern that the caretaker government did not take any 
action the attackers although several days have passed after the incident.

The teachers also called on the government to initiate the process for the 
trial of war criminals immediately.

The signatories to the statement include former vice chancellor Prof Saidur 
Rahman Khan, Prof Abdus Sobhan, Prof Mizan Uddin, Prof Ananda Kumar Saha, 
Prof Abul Kashem, Prof Mahabubur Rahman, Prof Fayekuzzaman, Prof Muklesur 
Rahman, Prof Julfiker Matin, Prof Anik Mahmud, Prof Jalal Uddin, Prof SM Abu 
Bakkar, Prof Shafiqunnabi Samadi, Prof Jannatul Ferdous, Prof Golam Sabbir 
Sattar Tapu and Prof Entajul Haque.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=46587

2008-07-20
Metropolitan
Protest against attack on freedom fighter continues
DU Correspondent

Dhaka University (DU) unit of Pro-JSD Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and 
'Amra Muktijoddhar Santan', a platform of children of freedom fighters, 
yesterday staged a demonstration on the campus protesting the attack on 
freedom fighter Sheikh Mohamamd Ali Aman by the Shibir cadres.

The BCL leaders and activists brought out a procession that marched 
different streets on the campus and held a rally at the foot of Aparajeyo 
Bangla.

Speakers at the rally demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to 
the Shibir cadres responsible for assault on Aman. They also urged the 
caretaker government to take measures to try the war criminals.

Meanwhile children of the freedom fighters also brought out a procession and 
held a rally on the campus demanding exemplary punishment to the Shibir 
cadres responsible for the attack and trial of the war criminals and 
Razakars (collaborators of the Pakistani army during the War of Liberation 
in 1971).

Aman was assaulted by a group of shibir cadres at a programme of Jatiya 
Muktijuddha Parisad in the city on July 11.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=388431

Tuesday 5th August, 2008

CPI activists protest killing of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy

ANI     Thursday 31st July, 2008
Chennai, July 31 : Communist Party of India (CPI) activists staged a 
demonstration hereon Wednesday against the alleged killing of innocent 
Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

CPI National Secretary D. Raja led the protestors, who later gathered 
outside the Sri Lankan consulate in the city to register their protest.

Slogans were raised against the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"The Rajapakse Government is resorting to military action against Indian 
fishermen. Hundreds of fishermen have already been killed and are being 
injured. It is atrocious. It is contrary to all the accepted international 
norms. Even it is contrary to the spirit of the agreement between India and 
Sri Lanka. Now, it is time that the fishing rights of Indian fishermen are 
restored," said Raja.

Raja also demanded that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh should take up the 
matter with Rajapaksa during his visit to the island nation for the SAARC 
Summit.

The Sri Lankan Navy allegedly have opened fire on hapless and unarmed Indian 
fishermen many times in the past after they accidentally crossed the 
maritime border separating the two countries.

According to the Katchathivu Agreement signed between India and Sri Lanka in 
1974, Indian fishermen are allowed to rest, fish and dry their nets on the 
islands. The agreement was amended by a 1976 executive order, which took 
away those rights.

http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20080705/129950.htm

Fishermen protest Sri Lankan Navy's 'atrocities'

This fishing town on the east coast of Tamil Nadu wore a deserted look 
Saturday as hundreds of fishermen went on an indefinite strike to protest 
'atrocities' and 'attacks' by Sri Lanka's navy.
As many as 3,000 country boats and 1,000 mechanised fishing trawlers did not 
go out to sea in protest.
The immediate provocation for the protest by the fishermen was the arrest of 
more than 900 fishermen from Rameshwaram, along with 300 fishing boats, by 
the Sri Lankan navy July 2 in the Palk Straits. The trawlers were later 
released after through investigation.
'The strike by the Indian fishing community would continue indefinitely,' 
N.J. Bose, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry Fishermen's 
Federation told reporters.
'Allied industry will also join the strike if the government does not take 
steps to extract meaningful assurance of providing safety to Indian 
fishermen from the Lankan authorities in the waters between the two 
countries,' the federation official added.
Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said the 300 trawlers 
were sailing towards Tamil Tigers-held Vidattaltivu area in northwestern 
Mannar district when they were surrounded by Sri Lankan navy vessels.
Sri Lanka has denied that its navy attacked and harassed Indian fishermen.
Sri Lanka said, it had intelligence reports that the Indian boat were to be 
used as camouflage by the LTTE, planning terrorist attacks.
The Indian fishermen are, however, adamant on assurances and the federation 
has decided to hold another protest in Rameswaram July 10.
They have threatened to block rail and road traffic at Pamban, 600 km south 
of Chennai, where the Indian land mass is closest to Sri Lanka, across the 
Strait.
The federation had a similar protest in January this year after firing on 
Indian boats by the Sri Lankan navy.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/04fish.htm

Tamil Nadu fishermen on indefinite strike protesting Lankan Navy action

July 04, 2008 23:04 IST

A day after Sri Lankan Navy released around 1,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen after 
detaining them for a day, thousands of fishermen from Rameshwaram launched 
an indefinite strike on Friday demanding protection and an end to recurring 
incidents of attacks by the island's navy.

The fishermen, who were critical of the inhuman treatment meted out to their 
colleagues by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday, said they would continue the 
strike till the problem was solved and security provided to them while 
fishing in Palk Straits.

The strike had been launched by various fishermen associations and over 
1,200 mechanised boats stayed back.

Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Fishermen's Association Chairman M J Bose said 
the fishermen would block the road on the Pamban bridge, connecting the 
island town with the mainland, on July 10.

The proposed road blockade was backed by all the political parties in the 
state, he said.

On Wednesday, the fishermen, intercepted by the Sri Lanka [Images]n Navy 
near Katchatheevu, were escorted to Talaimannar where a thorough search of 
their 249 boats was conducted, apparently following intelligence inputs that 
a few fishing boats carried explosive materials to Sri Lanka.

The fishermen had alleged that many of them were beaten up by Sri Lankan 
naval personnel.

http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/383318/cs/1/

Indian fishermen protesting Sri Lanka action call off strike
India Gazette
Thursday 17th July, 2008
(IANS)
Fishermen in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram, who were on strike against the Sri 
Lankan Navy's killing of Indian fishermen, withdrew their indefinite strike 
following the intervention of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, the government 
said Thursday.

Karunanidhi held talks with the representatives of the fishermen as their 
strike entered the 13th day. The Sri Lankan Navy had fired at the Indian 
fishermen off Nagappattinam coast, they said.

'The chief minister told us that our prime minister will take up the matter 
with Sri Lanka during the forthcoming South Asian Association for Regional 
Cooperation (Saarc) summit and that an ex-gratia payment of Rs.300,000 would 
be given per person who died in Sri Lankan firing. Similar other promises 
have also resulted in our withdrawing our strike,' N.J. Bose, president of 
the Rameshwaram fishermen's body, told reporters.

As the fishermen got an assurance from the chief minister, two protest 
movements called by pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) political 
parties are likely to be withdrawn. The pro-LTTE parties had said that they 
would hold protest demonstrations at the Sri Lankan deputy high commission 
here next week.

India and Sri Lanka are separated by the narrow Palk Straits.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=384191

DMK leaders on fast to protest killing of fishermen by Lankan troops

ANI     Saturday 19th July, 2008
Chennai, July 19 : Leaders of the ruling Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) 
staged a day-long state-wide fast on Saturday to protest the killing of 
Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi commenced the 
fast in Chennai today.

Several union and state ministers, besides senior party functionaries 
participated in the protest.

On Thursday, a resolution was adopted by the DMK's Working Committee 
meeting, which called for Central intervention in the matter.

The DMK also adopted a resolution that urged the Centre to summon the Sri 
Lanka High Commissioner and express its displeasure in strong and 
unequivocal terms over the killings.

A third resolution called for the intensification of patrolling by the 
Indian Navy and Coast Guard on the international maritime boundary to 
prevent incursions by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The DMK Working Committee called on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, 
to convey the Indian Government's concern and displeasure over the killing 
to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during the 15th South Asian 
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Colombo next month.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/may2008/sril-m28.shtml

Sri Lankan journalists protest against abduction and torture of colleague
By our correspondents
28 May 2008
Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author
Around 200 journalists took part in a lunch-hour demonstration at a busy 
junction in Colombo on May 23 to protest over the abduction and beating of 
Keith Noyahr, the associate editor of the Nation, an English-language 
weekly. A heavy security presence of more than 100 police, including several 
high-ranking officers, had been mobilised to deter demonstrators from 
marching toward Temple Trees, the president's official residence.
The protest was organised by five media organisations, including the Sri 
Lankan Working Journalists Association and Free Media Movement. Protesters 
demanded a full investigation to determine who abducted and assaulted Noyahr 
and accused the government of being involved in repeated attacks on the 
media and journalists, including Noyahr's abduction.
The identity of those responsible for torturing Noyahr is yet be 
established, but it is likely that members of the Sri Lankan military or 
associated paramilitaries and thugs were involved. His abduction is the 
latest in a long line of attacks, carried out with the tacit government 
support, to suppress the media and journalists in the wake of President 
Mahinda Rajapakse's renewed war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
(LTTE).
Noyahr, who is defence correspondent for the Nation, spoke briefly to the 
WSWS from his hospital bed at the National Hospital in Colombo. He was 
abducted at about 10 p.m. on May 22 near his house at Dehiwela on the 
outskirts of Colombo city. A van had followed him home. Three men handcuffed 
and blindfolded him then dragged him into the van, which drove for about an 
hour.
Noyahr was beaten severely with wooden poles. He was dumped near his house 
the following morning at about 4 a.m. He is still in pain with injuries to 
the back of his head and ear, and bruises near his right eye and both sides 
of his jaw. His back and legs were badly beaten. His wrists were injured by 
the handcuffs.
The fact that he was dumped near his home points to the collusion of the 
security forces. The police and military have established checkpoints at 
virtually every major junction throughout Colombo and surrounding suburbs. 
Vehicles are routinely stopped and searched-particularly in the early hours 
of the morning. That the abductors were not concerned strongly suggests 
high-level military or police involvement.
According to Noyahr, his interrogators wanted him to reveal his sources for 
articles on military matters. Although a supporter of the war, Noyahr has 
been critical of high-ranking officers and the way in which the government 
has conducted the war. He was threatened with severe reprisals if he 
reported publicly what his abductors wanted to know.
Journalists at last Friday's protest thought Noyahr's May 11 column in the 
Nation may have prompted his abduction. Headlined "An army is not its 
commander's private fiefdom," the article criticised the conduct of army 
chief Major General Sarath Fonseka. Noyahr's family told the media he had 
received several threats following its publication and had taken 
precautions.
The Rajapakse government and the military are not prepared to tolerate any 
criticism, no matter how limited, of the security forces. In comments on 
state-owned television earlier this month, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya 
Rajapakse, who is also the president's brother, lashed out at journalists 
who published reports "harmful towards the security forces and military 
operations" as "media traitors". He demanded the banning of such media.
In an interview with Irida Lankadeepa in January, the defence secretary 
called for full censorship of military matters, arguing that "there is no 
need to report anything on the military". Army commander Fonseka told 
Dinamina on January 2, that media which refused to toe the government's line 
were "unpatriotic" and "the biggest obstacle" to military's war efforts.
After President Rajapakse ordered offensives in July 2006 to seize LTTE 
territory, the military won some quick victories in the East. Over the past 
year, however, the army's efforts to overrun the LTTE's remaining 
strongholds in the North have bogged down. The military suffered heavy 
casualties in a failed offensive last month near Muhamalai. The cost of the 
war is impacting on living standards, producing rising popular discontent.
Noyahr's article on May 11 accused General Fonseka of favoritism in 
promoting and awarding medals to senior officers. One example was Brigadier 
Samantha Sooriyabandara who was placed in charge of the main 53 strike 
Division in Jaffna without "the required experience" and commanded the 
troops involved in the Muhamalai disaster.
While personal antagonisms and rivalries are undoubtedly involved, sharp 
tensions are clearly emerging within the military hierarchy as the war drags 
on. The Rajapakse government, which has banked heavily on a quick victory 
against the LTTE, is nervous at any public criticism of the military, even 
from those supporting the war.
State repression of the media, including the abduction and murder of 
journalists and attacks on print shops, has been on the rise since Rajapakse 
narrowly won the presidency in November 2005. While censorship has not 
formally been invoked, the government has repeatedly warned the media not to 
deviate from the propaganda released by the military.
For the period from May 2007 to May 2008, the Free Media Movement has 
documented two murders, two abductions (not including Noyahr) and 15 arrests 
involving media workers or journalists. In the same period, five radio 
channels had their licences suspended. According to the International 
Federation of Journalists, six journalists were killed in Sri Lanka during 
2007.
The most notorious incidents include:
* On May 19 this year, a group of employees with Sirasa TV covering the 
Vesak Full Moon celebrations was assaulted by thugs in the Colombo suburb of 
Kiribathgoda. Labour Minister Mervin Silva is the organiser for the ruling 
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the Kiribathgoda area and is particularly 
hostile to Sirasa TV for its coverage of his thuggish methods.
* On March 17, President Rajapakse ordered the military to suppress a strike 
by employees of the state-owned television network, Sri Lanka Rupavahini 
Corporation (SLRC). The strike was provoked by the government's failure to 
take action against Labour Minister Silva who burst into the television 
station in December, demanding to know why one of his speeches had not been 
broadcast. His thugs assaulted a news director. Two days after the strike 
was suppressed, Rajapakse appointed a retired army general to oversee the 
SLRC.
* On March 7, J.S. Tissainayagam, a columnist with the Sunday Times and the 
editor of the Outreach web site, was arrested by the notorious Terrorist 
Investigation Division of the police. He is still in detention, more than 
two months after his arrest, and has not been charged.
* On November 21, an armed gang broke into the print shop of Leader 
Publications, south of Colombo, and set it ablaze. The publishing house 
produces several newspapers critical of the Rajapakse government on issues 
of corruption, the violation of democratic rights and the activities of 
pro-government paramilitaries.
* Last year, Iqbal Athas, the defence columnist for the Sunday Times, was 
forced to go into hiding after the military pointedly removed his security 
detail. He received threats following the publication of columns pointing to 
high-level corruption, including by a Rajapakse family member, in the 
purchase of MIG fighters for the air force. Like Noyahr, Athas is a 
supporter of the war, whose criticisms reflect unease within the defence 
establishment itself.
In a bid to dampen criticism of Noyahr's abduction, the President Rajapakse 
has ordered the police chief to launch an investigation. But if the 
government's past record is any guide, the inquiry will be a whitewash. 
Similar "investigations" into the murder, abduction and assault of 
journalists and media workers have not resulted in any arrests or 
convictions.

http://story.philippinetimes.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/377669/cs/1/

Sri Lankan journalists protest against assault on scribes
Philippine Times
Wednesday 2nd July, 2008
(IANS)
Hundreds of Sri Lankan journalists Wednesday held a peaceful rally in the 
heart of Colombo to denounce the attack on a fellow journalist and a British 
high commission official by unknown men and urged the authorities to 
speedily arrest the culprits.

The protesters gathered a few hundred meters outside President Mahinda 
Rajapaksa's official residence and shouted slogans urging the authorities to 
take steps 'To stop immediately the threat to media freedom', 'Stop attacks 
on journalists' and 'Stop the culture of impunity'.

'All what we want from the government and the authorities is that they take 
all possible steps to stop attacks, harassment and threats against 
journalists and stop the prevailing culture of impunity,' said the convener 
of the independent Free Media Movement (FMM), Sunanda Deshapriya.

Media rights groups here said that Mahendra Ratnaweera, the political 
officer of the British high commission, was severely injured in the Monday 
evening attack in Colombo. His friend and freelance journalist Namal Perera 
also suffered serious injuries when an unknown group of men in a van blocked 
their car and assaulted them.

Several local and international media rights groups have condemned the 
attack and called for immediate investigation.

The US and Britain Tuesday condemned the assault and asked the Sri Lankan 
authorities to bring the perpetrators to book at the earliest.

'We are deeply concerned by a series of recent incidents involving members 
of the Sri Lankan media,' a US embassy statement said Tuesday.

The British high commission also condemned the attack as a 'despicable act'.

Sri Lanka's defence spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, said police 
investigation had been launched into the incident.

'We are hopeful of an early breakthrough in this regard,' Minister 
Rambukwella told reporters Wednesday, adding that the ruling coalition was 
fully committed to uphold the media freedom.

The Newspaper Publishers Association Wednesday announced that it was ready 
to offer Rs.5 million to anyone who provided information that could assist 
the probe into the latest attack on journalists in Sri Lanka.