Dear Friends,
As more and more people are finding out worldwide, the US Congress made it official yesterday. It is now US Government Policy that all charges against courageous journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury be dropped. In addition, it demands that all harassment against him end. The vote in the Congress was 409 to
1.
I was fortunate enough to be present to witness the heartfelt addresses made by several members of Congress on Shoaib’s behalf.
Introduced by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and co-sponsored by Rep.Nita Lowey (D-NY), House Resolution 64 passed the powerful House Committee on Foreign Relations less than a month ago, picking up the official support of the US State Department as it did. Kirk spoke about how he came to know about Shoaib’s plight and how it became his own. He also recognized his Senior Legislative Assistant, Jeffrey Phillips who spearheaded the Resolution. Lowey also spoke passionately about Shoaib’s case. Other speakers included Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. John Boozman (R-AK), and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) who told of his personal meeting with Shoaib in Bangladesh. Ackerman and Boozman also exchanged remarks about the bi-partisan nature of support for Shoaib and their hope that such cooperation will “splash over” (as Ackerman put it) to other issues before the Congress. The Members of Congress all tied the Choudhury case to the wider war against Islamist extremism and to an end to Bangladesh’s regular persecution of other journalists, dissidents, minorities, and women.
It is not clear yet how the resolution will be communicated to the Bangladeshi government.
Shoaib’s international attorney and acclaimed human rights lawyer Dr. Irwin Cotler believes that a critical event is approaching quickly. On March 28, the Bangladeshi Supreme Court will hear Shoaib’s petition to have all charges dropped. Previously, the Bangladeshi courts have dismissed such requests summarily often with nasty ex parte communications. He is hopeful that this signals a real change on the part of the Bangladeshis, and he believes that the Resolution’s passage has come at a critically important time.
One important step everyone can take is to sign the Petition by Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, in support of Shoaib. Given the prominence of many signatories, its delivery before March 28 could end up being a critical factor in tipping the scales in favor of justice. To sign the petition, go to https://spme.org/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=6. You can also sign the petition by going to http://www.InterfaithStrength.com and following the links.
Interested individuals can view the actual US House floor debate by going to http://www.InterfaithStrength.com as well.
Thanks to all for your support. Let us hope we are close to seeing justice for Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury prevail–not only for him but for others like him and ultimately for all of us.
Richard Benkin
