Bangladesh: Immediately Release Illegally Arrested Gay Men by Police

People, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are equally deserving of human rights.

(SALEM) - Bangladeshi authorities have arrested three gay men in Sylhet. The saga is indicative of problems facing this community of gay men from home and abroad.

As our Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes details in his letter below to Mrs. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh in Dhaka, this type of police response involving Bangladeshi gay men from home and abroad, represents an alarming situation.

In this event, Bangladeshi young gay men Sumon, Jakir and British citizen Alen were raided by police in a hotel. Their privacy was breached when they were illegally detained.

Governments and their police agencies must respect all human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Mr. Gomes urges Bangladesh to prosecute the Kotwali police involved in human rights violations in this case, and ensure that police are held accountable and brought to justice.

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Mrs. Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Office of the Prime Minister Tejgaon, Dhaka BANGLADESH Fax: +880 2 811 3244 / 3243 / 1015 / 1490 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.bd Re: Bangladesh: Immediately release illegally arrested gay men by police Dear Prime Minister, I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com. I have been informed regarding an alarming situation in Bangladesh. I came to know that three gay men were illegally arrested by Bangladesh in Sylhet. While Bangladeshi young gay men Sumon, Jakir and British citizen Alen were enjoying their time in a hotel in Sylhet, the Kotwali police breach the privacy and illegally detained them in custody. I have been informed by local sources that police have physically and mentally tortured Sumon and Jakir upon arrest. The Kotwali have filed a case against British citizen Alen and charged under Section 377A of BPC, for adult homosexual sex acts with Sumon and Jakir. I want to remind you this 377A is an unconstitutional law and against the basic human rights and breach the inspiration of the constitution. I am really concerned with this inhuman law the three innocent men may be punished with fines and/or up to 10 years, sometimes life imprisonment. I want to remind you that this law is inhuman and against the inspiration of our constitution: Part II Article 19 – Promises equal opportunity for all citizens. Part III Article 27- Promises equality before the law for all citizens. I also want to remind you that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to enjoy their human rights. I urge you to prosecute the Kotwali police who are involved in human rights violations by arresting the three young men who identify them as gay and the police based on sexual orientation or gender identity arrested them because they are different from them, please bring the perpetrators held accountable and brought to justice. I also urge you to take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to prohibit and eliminate prejudicial treatment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity at every stage of the administration of justice; Yours sincerely, William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com www.williamgomes.org http://www.facebook.com/notes/william-nicholas-gomes/bangladesh-immediately-release-illegally-arrested-gay-men-by-police/396149687118236

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Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author was born on 25 December, 1985 in Dhaka. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets.

He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from year 2009 to 2011, on that time he was accredited as a free lance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh. During this time he has reported a notable numbers of reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by notable number of new outlets all over the world.He, ideologically, identifies himself deeply attached with anarchism. His political views are often characterized as “leftist” or “left-wing,” and he has described himself as an individualist anarchist.