Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Ansar. It was formed on 26 March 2004 as RAT, and commenced operations on 14 April 2004. From 2004 to 2008 RAB had killed 1,062 people.
David Bergman is a British investigative journalist. Bergman has worked for Bangladeshi and British newspapers. He first became known in Bangladesh for his reporting on war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War. An investigative documentary on the subject he worked as a reporter and researcher for British television in 1995 won an award. Twenty years later, he was convicted of contempt of court by Bangladesh's special war crimes tribunal in 2015 for contradicting the official death toll of the war. Bergman has also contributed to The New York Times and Foreign Policy.
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh is a far-right Islamic advocacy group of madrassah teachers and students. In 2013, it submitted to the government of Bangladesh a 13-point charter, which included the demand for the enactment of a blasphemy law.
The Dhaka Tribune is a major Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper based in Dhaka, the country's capital and largest city. It also operates an online portal known as the Bangla Tribune. The newspaper has a strong readership in Bangladeshi cities, particularly among the young generation, the diplomatic community, and expatriates; as well as a wide readership in South Asia and internationally. The newspaper is notable for its highly diverse op-ed content, with contributions from leading Bangladeshi, South Asian and international columnists. It also organizes the Dhaka Literary Festival.
Bangladesh Pratidin, literally meaning Bangladesh Everyday, is a daily, Bengali-language independent newspaper in Bangladesh. It was founded on 15 March 2010. Bangladesh Pratidin tops the list of highest circulated dailies in the country out of 345 newspapers published from Dhaka and elsewhere, the information minister told parliament 10 March 2014. Naem Nizam is the editor of Bangladesh Pratidin. Bangladesh Pratidin is a subsidiary of East West Media Group, which is owned by Bashundhara Group. On behalf of East West Media Group, the publisher of the newspaper is Moynal Hossain Chowdhury.
Nadia Sharmeen is a Bangladeshi journalist. In 2015, she won the US State Department's International Women of Courage Award.
Naem Nizam is a Bangladeshi journalist, writer, philanthropist and the Editor of daily Bangladesh Pratidin, the largest circulated Bengali language daily in Bangladesh. His philanthropic endeavors has led to the establishment and maintenance of Heshakal Bazar Naem Nizam Degree College in Comilla, Bangladesh. He is the Vice President of Sheikh Russell KC, a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh are cases in which the Government of Bangladesh directly or indirectly kidnaps people and holds them incommunicado. According to a Dhaka-based human rights group Odhikar, at least 402 people have become victim of enforced disappearance from 2009 to 2017 under the current Awami League administration. These incidents along with extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh has been criticized by The United Nations and human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a special paramilitary unit in Bangladesh, is alleged to be behind most of these disappearances even though RAB claimed these allegations to be false. The current Awami League government denies involvement in these forced disappearances even when victims later surface in custody.
Nurul Kabir is a Bangladeshi journalist, writer, columnist, editor, and activist. He is the editor of the outspoken Bangladeshi newspaper, New Age and the editor of the Bengali weekly Budhbar. Nairbachanik Swairatantra O Ganatantrer Sangram and The Red Moulana are two of his most well-known books.
Haji Mohammad Salim is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka-7 constituency since 2014.
Detective Branch is a specialized unit of Bangladesh Police. According to Human Rights Watch, there is extensive documentation of human rights violation by Detective Branch and Rapid Action Battalion. According to Human Rights Watch, 70 percent of extrajudicial deaths involving the police involved Detective Branch.
The Bangladesh Secretariat, also known as Bangladesh Sachibalaya or Old Secretariat, is the administrative headquarters of the Government of Bangladesh, and houses the majority of ministries and government agencies and bodies. The secretariat can refer to the complex of ministries, or refer to the Bangladesh Civil Service central administration. Its political heads are the ministers while the administrative heads are the Secretaries to the Government. It is located in Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka. The Secretariat complex was originally constructed as Secretariat of East Pakistan.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police or SMP was formed in 2009 to serve the city of Sylhet in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the largest metropolitan police unit by area in Bangladesh.
Barisal Metropolitan Police or BMP was established in 2006 based on Barishal city to serve the metropolis. It was established by an ordinance of The Barisal Metropolitan Police Ordinance - 2006. Saiful Islam is the commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan Police.
DBC News is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable news television channel, owned and operated by Dhaka Bangla Media & Communication Ltd. The Chairman of the channel is Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, former Media Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Managing Director is Sahidul Ahsan and CEO & Editor in Chief is Monjurul Islam.
A series of public protests in Bangladesh advocating improved road safety were held from 29 July to 8 August 2018. They were sparked by the deaths of two high-school students in Dhaka struck by a bus operated by an unlicensed driver who was racing to collect passengers. The incident impelled students to demand safer roads and stricter traffic laws, and the demonstrations rapidly spread throughout Bangladesh.
Shahidul Islam is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and the former Member of Parliament of Kushtia-2 from 1996 to 2006 for two terms. He was known for filing cases and attacking journalists in Kushtia District.
The Digital Security Act, 2018 is a digital security law in Bangladesh. This act was passed with the aim of preventing the spread of racism; sectarianism; extremism; terrorist propaganda; and hatred against religious or ethnic minorities through social media, print media or any other electronic media. Any content over the internet or any other media that was deemed pornographic or otherwise inappropriate by the government could be punished by fines or prison terms of various lengths. It is a controversial law and it was feared that the law could be used to suppress dissenters against the government due to some of its provisions that are vague and ambiguous, open to interpretation or prone to abuse. This law has been used to sue and arrest journalists, activists and also cyber criminals. It has been described as a "Draconian" law.
Krishna Pada Roy is a Deputy Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Officer and commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police. He is a former additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
