Urgent Action: OVER 100 INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARBITRARILY ARRESTED (Bangladesh 48.24)

Since April 7, over 100 Indigenous Bawm people have been arbitrarily arrested as part of an ongoing military operation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh. They are accused of being terrorists, suspected of being part of, or supporters of, the military group, Kuki-Chin National Front, that allegedly robbed two public banks and held a bank manager hostage on April 2 and 3, 2024. Of those who have not been arrested, most have now fled to jungle areas near the villages or are fleeing the country. Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of all civilians and an end to the crackdown against the Bawm community. 

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: August 22, 2024

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
• Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 48.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

sample letter:

Dear Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina / Your Excellency,

Since April 7, 2024, more than 100 Indigenous Bawm people, including a pregnant woman and children, have been arbitrarily arrested as part of an ongoing military operation in villages in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Amnesty International is concerned that the Indigenous Bawm people are at serious risk of suffering collective punishment from the state authorities. There are around 11,000 Bawn people in Bangladesh and most of them are currently living in fear of arrests, starvation, lack of access to education, employment, etc. The military has set up camps in some of the villages, and are confiscating villagers’ mobile phones, cutting them off from their family members.

I urge you to end the crackdown against the Bawm community and urgently release all civilians, especially the pregnant woman and children, who have been arbitrarily arrested. I ask that you provide adequate legal representation for all arbitrarily arrested and allow their relatives to visit them freely, without any fear of them being arrested in the process. Further, I urge you to ensure military activities only be carried out on Indigenous Peoples’ lands with their consent, and in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Finally, I urge you to fully implement all human rights provisions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

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