by Taj Hashmi 15 December 2022
In view of the second life-threatening attempt on US Ambassador Peter Haas in Bangladesh last Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, by rowdy supporters of the Hasina Regime slightly more than four years after a similar attempt on Ambassador Marcia Bernicat in August 2018 in Dhaka, one wonders if the Regime is not only bankrupt – both literally and metaphorically – but also suicidal to a large extent! Both incidents are eerily similar. Seemingly, the Hasina Administration is unaware of the implications of physically assaulting or killing a foreign diplomat – as her party activists apparently tried to do twice with impunity. Hasina Administration may be described as collectively insane or suicidal for its insensitivity.
In 2018, the ruling Awami League goons attacked Ambassador Bernicat’s motorcade after she met Badiul Alam Majumdar, a human rights activist in Bangladesh, at his residence in Dhaka, similar to that attack. Hasina’s rowdy supporters threatened Ambassador Haas at the residence of another human rights activist, Sanjida Islam, the sister of Sajedul Islam Sumon (a local BNP leader) who has been missing since 2013, another victim of enforced disappearance. Over 2,000 people (still missing) have been abducted by Hasina’s law enforcers, who also gunned down around 600 political dissidents in fake encounters or “cross fire” since 2009. Sanjida Islam runs a human rights organization called Maaer Dak (Mother’s Call). The angry Hasina supporters surrounding the place represented an organization called Maaer Kanna (Mother’s Cry), a pro-Awami League outfit that seeks justice for people who are said to have disappeared or killed during the rule of President Ziaur Rahman (1975-1981), the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Unlike the Trump Administration, the Biden Administration has shown an interest in restoring democracy, freedom, and human rights across the world, including Bangladesh, much to the discomfiture of the Hasina administration. Since becoming Prime Minister for the second time in 2009, the Hasina government’s criticism of the US Administration has intensified (except during the Trump Administration), especially following the farcical elections of 2014 and 2018. As a bete noire to the Hasina Administration, the Biden Administration champions democracy, freedom, and human rights in various countries, including Bangladesh. It is quite common for Hasina and her followers to use disrespectful and politically incorrect language against US officials, including the US ambassador to Bangladesh. As mentioned above, some of her party activists even attacked the motorcade of a former US ambassador in 2018, only because she met a leading human rights activist in the country.
In December 2021, the US Treasury Department sanctioned seven senior Bangladeshi law enforcement officers for their role in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of political opponents to the tune of 600 and 2,000, respectively. The Hasina Administration found the sanctions extremely unpalatable. Since arriving in Dhaka in March of this year, Ambassador Haas has been outspoken about the lack of democracy and human rights in the country. In a recent bold statement, he condemned the brutal and unprovoked killing of one unarmed BNP worker and severely injuring many more by Hasina’s police on December 7th. “We encourage government authorities to investigate these reports of violence and to protect fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly,” said the Ambassador. His above public statement may have contributed to the December 14th showdown by ruling party activists, which the Ambassador had every reason to believe was an act of intimidation and aggression, in gross violation of the Geneva Convention.
During the last two years, the opposition movement against Hasina has intensified, which is all about her immediate removal from power and ending her brutal, corrupt, and undemocratic regime. This has led to a much more nervous and brutal regime than ever. Nonetheless, the US Treasury Department’s sanctions in December 2021 have prevented Hasina’s law enforcers from carrying out random extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. They have killed “only” 18 political dissidents since the 2021 sanctions, a significant drop from previous years.
Now, let’s examine the distortions, lies, and shenanigans of the Hasina Administration concerning what transpired at the residence of the disappeared BNP leader Sajedul Islam Sumon on December 14th, 2022. It is interesting to note that Bangladeshi media, the Bangladeshi police officer responsible for providing security to the Ambassador, Ambassador Haas himself, and his staff differ significantly from what we hear from Hasina’s powerful ministers.
One may cite the abridged version of a report in the daily Prothom Alo (December 14, 2022), which is soft on the Hasina Administration (having the largest circulation in Bangladesh):
Ambassador Haas arrived at the BNP leader’s house a little after 9:00 am and spent about 30 minutes there. Prothom Alo was informed by the US Embassy that the envoy left without terminating the meeting due to security concerns. While Peter Haas was getting into his car, chaos broke out in front of the house.
A group of people under the banner of Mayer Kanna gathered in front of Sajedul Islam’s house following the news of Peter Haas’s visit. The Mayer Kanna platform represents the families of the army and air force members who were terminated, imprisoned, and hanged after the abortive coup of 2 October 1977. Mayer Daak, a platform for families of those who have been forced to disappear, is coordinated by Sanjida Islam, sister of missing Sajedul Islam. As she told Prothom Alo, “On the occasion of Peter Haas’s visit, a police team led by Tajgaon police station officer-in-charge Apurba Hasan visited our house on Tuesday and Wednesday. Forty minutes before the US envoy arrived, local leaders and activists of the Awami League and residents of Mayer Kanna were standing on the street in front of our house. Chaos erupted at one point. Peter Haas later got into his car with the help of police officers who had been deployed for his protection,” she added.
In response to a question about the discussion with Peter Haas, Sanjida Islam said, “The envoy inquired about family members of the missing persons. It has been demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted into the incidents of law enforcement agencies picking up people. He also asked what we want now.”
The BNP’s Dhaka city Ward No 30 (now Dhaka north Ward No 25) general secretary Sajedul Islam went missing on 4 December 2013. His family claimed that members of law enforcement agencies abducted him.
Other media reports from Bangladesh more or less corroborate the above by the Prothom Alo. However, Hasina’s Foreign Minister Abdul Momin, another minister, Obaidul Qader, who is also the Awami League’s secretary general, as well as other close associates of Hasina have given fabricated stories about the incident. Untrue assertions and absurd, silly, and obnoxious comments abound. To date, the ruling party has not apologized publicly to Ambassador Haas or the US Administration, condemned the rowdy behavior of its activists, or promised retaliation.
Even Prime Minister Hasina’s speech on December 14th reflects her denial syndrome: “The Awami League never violates human rights, rather it protects them.” Thirty-four pro-Hasina Bangladeshi intellectuals came up with a statement in the media a day after Ambassador Haas was heckled by a rowdy mob. They condemned his “undue interference” in their country’s internal affairs and his refusal to investigate the claim that the late President Zia abducted and killed innocent people in 1977. It is as if the US Administration has a duty to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Bangladesh that took place almost half a century ago.
Foreign Minister Abdul Momin denied knowing anything about the Ambassador visiting a BNP leader’s residence in Dhaka. That’s anything but the truth. Additionally, he said the police would have ensured his safety if they had known about his visit. Once again, he condemned the US, where law enforcement regularly disappears and kills thousands of Americans. In addition, he condemned the UN for compiling a list of 76 Bangladeshi victims of enforced disappearance. “It’s a shame. Ten of the alleged disappeared people are still alive.”
It’s absurd but true, for the Foreign Minister, finding out who informed the troublemakers of the Ambassador’s impending visit to a BNP leader’s house is more important than apologizing to the Ambassador and the US Administration for the untoward incident. He should also have promised retaliation against the troublemakers. The most important thing he could have done was ask officials in his ministry who were aware of the visit. In addition, he should have known that Bangladeshi police personnel were present while an unruly mob harassed and threatened the US Ambassador. It should be clear to Abdul Momin that ignorance is no defense for inaction and rude language on the part of a top diplomat.
The US ambassador received some unsolicited advice from Minister Obaidul Qader: “He should have visited the Martyred Intellectuals’ Memorial instead of a BNP leader’s residence”. (December 14 is Bangladeshi Martyred Intellectuals Day, commemorating the killing of dozens of Bangladeshi intellectuals by the Pakistani occupation army in 1971). To the US Administration, he asked: “How many Americans disappear every year?”
To conclude, one may suggest that during the 14 years of proto-fascist tyranny under Hasina till February 2022 — until the sudden Ukraine Crisis-induced economic crisis in the world — she, her associates, and her cronies believed in their invincibility. In the meantime, China was investing billions of dollars in quasi-useful and unproductive mega-development projects in Bangladesh that facilitated massive plundering of wealth by Hasina, her family, and her cronies in billions of dollars, while they were confident that Western and Indian support would be unimpeded. Global and regional geo-political conflicts, however, precipitated big problems for the Hasina regime as every good thing comes to an end one day. Despite the global economic crisis, Bangladeshi ruling and business elites still plunder the nation’s wealth in an unimpeded manner. This is the mother of all crises facing the country and its unelected, brutal, and corrupt regime. Until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the BNP and other opposition parties had been too dormant, weak, and disorganized to draw mass support against Hasina’s autocracy. That’s not the case anymore! There are now literally millions of Bangladeshis who are drawn to the BNP and opposition parties who are bold and brave enough to ask Hasina: “Janogoner ek dabi, Hasina tui kobe jabi?” (People just want to know when is Hasina leaving?)
In the meantime, Joe Biden’s election victory had not only changed the collective psyche of Americans but of most people globally as well. Democracies and autocracies alike have once again been stirred up by democracy, freedom, and human rights. Sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department on seven Bangladeshi law enforcement officers last December had a significant impact on the Bangladeshi government. Thanks to the sanctions, the average Bangladeshi has become far more courageous, bold, and above all, optimistic about her/his future in a democratic setting. Gradually, Bangladeshis have resorted to protest and retaliation against their government, once more, just as they did in 1971.
Ultimately, the Biden Administration needs to take proactive measures to rectify the wrongs committed by the US Administration for at least 20 years between 2001 and 2020, out of sheer ignorance, neglect, and prejudice against Bangladesh. By paying attention to India’s and Sheikh Hasina’s unfounded claims, the BNP (the country’s most popular political party) and its coalition partners were identified as promoters of Islamist terror.
Unfortunately for Hasina and her ruling Awami League party, they are least concerned about the resentment of the US Administration over the not-so-covert threat on its diplomat, which can cripple Bangladesh economically and diplomatically if sanctions are imposed on Hasina and her administration for promoting state-sponsored terrorism and human rights violations. Economic sanctions could be disastrous for Bangladesh because the US is one of the largest importers of Bangladeshi apparel (along with its allies in West Europe). The naivete of the Hasina Administration knows no bounds. Recently, her administration and state-controlled media mocked the Japanese Ambassador for publicly criticizing unprecedented vote rigging during the 2018 Parliamentary Elections by the Hasina Administration (including the police). Tokyo responded by canceling Hasina’s Japan trip, which could be beneficial for Bangladesh economically.
Hasina may have reached the end of her road. Nothing short of a complete overhaul of her administration – including the release of all political prisoners and victims of enforced disappearance, the reintroduction of the Caretaker Government, and the unconditional and immediate resignation of her government – could ensure that she and her close associates are safe or are not punished.
Furthermore, the Biden Administration should take proactive measures in Bangladesh for the sake of long-term stability and security in the country, as well as for American security interests in the Indo-Pacific region. We can’t afford another rogue state under Chinese tutelages like Myanmar or North Korea in the Bay of Bengal. The sooner the Biden Administration realizes this, the better.
Taj Hashmi, Ph.D., FRAS is a historian-cum-cultural anthropologist, and is a retired professor of Security Studies at the APCSS, US. He has written several books and hundreds of journal articles, and newspaper op-eds. As an analyst of current affairs, and a human rights activist he regularly appears on talk shows about Bangladesh, South Asia, and World affairs. His latest book, Fifty Years of Bangladesh, 1971-2021: Crises of Culture, Development, Governance, and Identity, was published by Palgrave-Macmillan in May 2022.