Info on Salah Choudhury
Here's some info on Salah Choudhury, the jailed journalist in Bangladesh, from the JTA website:
And, here's one more report from same source:
2017 update: having discovered this post after so many years, I think it's important to note that over the past decade since this news came out, Anthony Weiner's now facing child pornography charges. As a result, I'm not sure his own words carry much weight here, and he was probably contributing to the campaign just to take attention away from his own shady activities. What he's done behind the scenes is sick, and scuttles whatever good he was supposedly trying to do.
Congressman: Help Bangladeshi journalistPlus, here's a letter from Choudhury forwarded from Tom Carew:
A U.S. congressman called on the Bush administration to intervene on behalf of a Bangladeshi journalist facing sedition charges for advocating ties with Israel.
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking her to use the full influence of your office to correct a grave injustice being committed against Shoaib Choudhury, editor of the English-language Weekly Blitz newspaper.
In addition to the charges, Choudhury was beaten when 40 people stormed his offices earlier this month.
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006
From: Salah Choudhury
Subject: Letters from US Congressman in support of Shoaib
To: Tom Carew,
Greetings from Dhaka!
Kindly read the following statements from Esteemed Congressman Anthony Weiner and Esteemed Congressman Tom Lantos.
Hope you will kindly give exposure to these items in your news media or share this with others.
Regards
Shoaib
Lantos Appeals to Bangladeshi President on Behalf of Jailed JournalistDo your best to help Choudhury get freedom, everyone!
Washington , DC - Congressman Tom Lantos, the ranking member of the House International Relations Committee, has appealed to the president of Bangladesh on behalf of a Muslim journalist on trial for sedition because he warned against the rise of Islamist terrorism in Bangladesh and for advocating interfaith dialogue, including recognition of Israel.
In a letter to President Iajuddin Ahmed, Lantos said the trial of Journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury "makes a mockery of any notion that Bangladesh is a tolerant society or one in which freedom of _expression is accorded any value whatsoever. It also raises a very serious question as to whether Bangladesh is a peace-loving nation."
"Your nation may not want to recognize Israel; that is your sovereign choice, if a poor one," Lantos wrote. "But it is shameful that a citizen can be threatened with death simply for suggesting that his nation live at peace with Israel or for wishing to visit Israel."
Lantos, who is also the founding co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, urged President Ahmed to use his power under Article 49 of the country's constitution -- the "Prerogative of Mercy" -- to counteract any court ruling against Choudhury.
Like other journalists in Bangladesh of late, Choudhury has endured death threats and attacks for his writings. The headquarters of his newspaper were recently bombed. His case has raised alarm and support among human rights groups such as International PEN and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Lantos noted that Choudhury's suffering had already dragged on for three years, dating to his arrest at the airport in Dhaka as he was about to head to Israel for a writers' conference. Choudhury was kept in solitary confinement for 17 months, enduring torture and deplorable conditions, until charges that had been brought against him for espionage were dropped.
Lantos warned that if Choudhury is now convicted and sentenced for sedition, the International Relations Committee will conduct hearings into the relationship between the United States and Bangladesh. Among other matters, the committee's jurisdiction includes foreign aid.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Journalist, Columnist, Author & Peace Activist
PENUSA FTW Award 2005, AJC Moral Courage Award 2006
Editor & Publisher, Weekly Blitz
Chief Editor, Weekly Jamjamat
Web: www.weeklyblitz.net Web: www.interfaithstrength.com
2017 update: having discovered this post after so many years, I think it's important to note that over the past decade since this news came out, Anthony Weiner's now facing child pornography charges. As a result, I'm not sure his own words carry much weight here, and he was probably contributing to the campaign just to take attention away from his own shady activities. What he's done behind the scenes is sick, and scuttles whatever good he was supposedly trying to do.
Labels: islam, Moonbattery, political corruption, State Dept, United States
