Human Rights Violations

Letter to US Secretary Of State Antony Blinken regarding Mr. Khairuzzaman

CHRD-Bangladesh

May 5, 2022

525

The Honorable Antony J. Blinken

Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

Room 7226

Harry S. Truman Building

2201 C Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20520

secretary@state.gov

Dear Secretary Blinken,

The Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy in Bangladesh is writing to you regarding Mr. Mohammed Khairuzzaman, who was the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia from 2007 to 2009. From 1996 to 2001, the Sheikh Hasina-led government falsely charged Mr. Khairuzzaman in the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman political assassination case of 1975, in which the trial court acquitted him.

After assuming office, the Sheikh Hasina-led government in January 2009 recalled Mr. Khairuzzaman to Dhaka and revoked his Bangladesh passport. Assuming the imminent risks to his life, Mr. Khairuzzaman approached the UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur and obtained an identity card to continue his stay in Malaysia. Since then, he has been living there as a refugee.

Mr. Khairuzzaman is once again on the verge of persecution by the government of Bangladesh through a new found corruption case against him related to his tenure in Malaysia, which ended in 2009. The government has shortened the procedure of filing the case from at least three months to less than two weeks, and the case is now pending with the Special Sessions Court of Bangladesh. The Sheikh Hasina government has a new agenda of deporting him back to Bangladesh to falsely persecute him under pretentious allegations at its leverages.

Earlier this year on February 9, Mr. Khairuzzaman was arrested by the Malaysian immigration from his residence in Kuala Lumpur. His defense attorney stated that he was detained without any valid reasons. He was later released unconditionally by the government of Malaysia.

The Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy in Bangladesh has reviewed numerous allegations that the government of Bangladesh has been unnecessarily harassing and targeting Mr. Khairuzzaman, who is an honest, respectable and law-abiding individual waiting for his permanent residency to the United States to be finalized so that he can join his family here and live in safety. Furthermore, due to his age and his health conditions, the consistent unwarranted persecution by the authoritarian regime of Bangladesh is all the more critical.

We are certain that should Mr. Khairuzzaman be extradited to Bangladesh, he will face cruel and unusual retributions for crimes he is innocent of.

The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government of Bangladesh is renowned for its use of cruelty, enforced disappearances, torture, false allegations and extrajudicial killings.

We are therefore extremely concerned about Mr. Khairuzzaman’s rights to live in safety in Malaysia until he arrives in the United States. We therefore request the United States State Department to expedite his application for U.S. permanent residency.

Mr. Secretary, we earnestly urge you to please consider this matter with the utmost urgency as an innocent person’s wellbeing and life are at stake.

Sincerely,

The Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy in Bangladesh

CC: Mr. Peter Haas

United States Ambassador to Bangladesh

12 Madani Avenue

Baridhara

Dhaka 1212

Bangladesh

meulenbergsd@state.gov

DhakaACS@state.gov

CC: Mr. Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin