Update on Tasneem Khalil

Less than 24 hours ago, fellow blogger and human rights activist Tasneem Khalil had been arrested by the Bangladesh army. Read posts from Salam Dhaka about that HERE and HERE. Also Bangla bloggers have a detailed post HERE (or see below) with multiple links included there.

What can you do to help Tasneem?

Please write to the chairman of the Bangladesh Caucus in the US Congress - Congressman Joseph Crowley of New York. Besides that, most of the representatives from Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey are responsive as we have significant numbers of expatriates there. These are Senators John Kerry, Edward Kennedy, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. You may also contact Congressmen Antony Weiner, Gregory Meekes, Yvette Clarke, Gary Ackerman and Peter King. These people are involved with Bangladesh to varying degrees and will be responsive. Please arrange for letters to be sent to these representatives by as many of their constituents as possible, along with follow up phone calls and emails.

Also, have as many people as possible write and call the State Department’s Bangladesh Desk and Bureau of Human Rights and Labor.

Thousands of our activists and leaders arrested, just like Tasneem. And just like Tasneem, many of them are innocent. That is why due process exists, so the innocent are not victimized. That is why an elected government, however flawed it may be, is preferable to an unelected one that never has to face the people in polls and so has no accountability.

Fakhruddin must answer.