The Case of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury: An Update
By Dr Richard Benkin
As Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury enters his ninth month of captivity, his family and closest supporters tend to bounce between poles of hope and despair. Hope came in early June when the Bangladeshi Prime Minister issued a memo ordering that his case and possible release be expedited. Despair set in as two months passed since she did, and there have been no signs of any movement whatsoever. Hope greeted us when a few international donors provided the Choudhurys with a little economic relief, and they hoped that more might come. Despair set in with the recent floods that have devastated Bangladesh while the Choudhurys have received no further income to offset their rising costs. And we were hopeful when the Bangladeshi High Court, as well as the nation’s premier medical college ordered that prison authorities see that Choudhury receive badly needed medical treatment. But that, too, turned to despair as prison authorities continued to refuse treatment, the government lacked either the power or the will to enforce its own order, and for the first time, my friend despaired to us over his deteriorating health.
Yet, we again cling to new and hopeful signs. Just the other day, I was informed that the aforementioned memo from the Prime Minister is finally known to be in the hands of Assistant Inspector General of Police, Confidential section. The family has expressed hope that either the memo’s arrival there or its being leaked means that we will soon see action. Additionally, a group of attorneys based in Washington, Freedom Now, became interested in the case and is preparing any number of activities to push for Choudhury’s release. Freedom Now, unlike many other “rights” groups, is not associated with any anti-Israeli bias or involvement, and they have been effective in advocating for other prisoners of conscience worldwide. Finally, I was in productive conversation with the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations recently. After discussions with the First Secretary concerned with human rights issues, I received a call from the head of the Mission, Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. He seemed genuinely concerned about the matter. We spoke as well of the damage to Bangladesh’s image worldwide as a result of this incident and the outrage that many people share because of it. Specifically, however, we discussed that damage vis-à-vis United States citizens, and Dr. Chowdhury subsequently contacted the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington for follow-up contact and action. So, yes, we can look hopefully to the future.
Unfortunately, such a view would seem difficult behind the walls of the Dhaka Central Jail. Yet, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury remains optimistic because as he recently wrote, these efforts “have the blessings of G-d.” He continues to advocate even from prison for Jewish-Muslim dialogue and is proud that fellow inmates call him “Friend of Israel” or “Friend of Jews.” He speaks optimistically about working for peace after his release. And he asks to “pray for me…and Shalom to my Jewish brothers and sisters.”
Meanwhile, his family sits before the High Court every Monday, week after week, hoping for a hearing that so far has not come.
Every one of us can help, though. The Choudhurys encourage us to visit our web site, www.freechoudhury.com, and use the links there to write the Bangladesh and other governments, sign the online petition for his freedom, and request articles or speakers for your group. You can also use the site to help the family out financially. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact me through the web site link or at drrbenkin@comcast.net.
Don't let the Choudhury case drift into oblivion by default
Below is Dr Benkin's recent update concerning the Bangladeshi journalist, Choudhury.
I would like to think that had IsraPundit been active in 1895, we would have kept writing about Alfred Dreyfus until his vindication. While this is strictly hypothetical, we do have the duty to keep the very real cases of Jonathan Pollard and Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury front and center. Please give special attention to the last, action-oriented paragraph of the article below.
I am grateful to Dr Benkin for entrusting the article below with IsraPundit.
The Case of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury: An Update
By Dr Richard Benkin
As Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury enters his ninth month of captivity, his family and closest supporters tend to bounce between poles of hope and despair. Hope came in early June when the Bangladeshi Prime Minister issued a memo ordering that his case and possible release be expedited. Despair set in as two months passed since she did, and there have been no signs of any movement whatsoever. Hope greeted us when a few international donors provided the Choudhurys with a little economic relief, and they hoped that more might come. Despair set in with the recent floods that have devastated Bangladesh while the Choudhurys have received no further income to offset their rising costs. And we were hopeful when the Bangladeshi High Court, as well as the nation’s premier medical college ordered that prison authorities see that Choudhury receive badly needed medical treatment. But that, too, turned to despair as prison authorities continued to refuse treatment, the government lacked either the power or the will to enforce its own order, and for the first time, my friend despaired to us over his deteriorating health.
Yet, we again cling to new and hopeful signs. Just the other day, I was informed that the aforementioned memo from the Prime Minister is finally known to be in the hands of Assistant Inspector General of Police, Confidential section. The family has expressed hope that either the memo’s arrival there or its being leaked means that we will soon see action. Additionally, a group of attorneys based in Washington, Freedom Now, became interested in the case and is preparing any number of activities to push for Choudhury’s release. Freedom Now, unlike many other “rights” groups, is not associated with any anti-Israeli bias or involvement, and they have been effective in advocating for other prisoners of conscience worldwide. Finally, I was in productive conversation with the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations recently. After discussions with the First Secretary concerned with human rights issues, I received a call from the head of the Mission, Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. He seemed genuinely concerned about the matter. We spoke as well of the damage to Bangladesh’s image worldwide as a result of this incident and the outrage that many people share because of it. Specifically, however, we discussed that damage vis-à-vis United States citizens, and Dr. Chowdhury subsequently contacted the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington for follow-up contact and action. So, yes, we can look hopefully to the future.
Unfortunately, such a view would seem difficult behind the walls of the Dhaka Central Jail. Yet, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury remains optimistic because as he recently wrote, these efforts “have the blessings of G-d.” He continues to advocate even from prison for Jewish-Muslim dialogue and is proud that fellow inmates call him “Friend of Israel” or “Friend of Jews.” He speaks optimistically about working for peace after his release. And he asks to “pray for me…and Shalom to my Jewish brothers and sisters.”
Meanwhile, his family sits before the High Court every Monday, week after week, hoping for a hearing that so far has not come.
Every one of us can help, though. The Choudhurys encourage us to visit our web site, www.freechoudhury.com, and use the links there to write the Bangladesh and other governments, sign the online petition for his freedom, and request articles or speakers for your group. You can also use the site to help the family out financially. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact me through the web site link or at drrbenkin@comcast.net.
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at August 9, 2004 07:00 AM