The France-based rights organization, JMBF, considers their detention and handing over to the police by the homophobic public, due to the expression of same-sex relationships and willingness to get married, clear violations of their fundamental human rights and dignity.
JMBF urges the concerned authorities to take immediate action against those homophobic individuals involved in such heinous incidents of interfering with personal lives and privacy.
According to reports from various online newspapers in Bangladesh, on March 9, 2023, two lesbian women were detained by local residents in Singair, under the Manikganj district.
The local people detained a 26-year-old woman of Garadia village in the Baira Union of Singair Upazila, under Manikganj district, along with her 35-year-old lesbian partner from Durgapur village under Nabiganj police station in Habiganj district on Saturday evening, March 9, 2024.
Later, both of them were brought to Dewan Haider Hossain, former general secretary of the Baira Bazar Merchants Association, who informed the local journalists. When the journalists arrived at the scene, they were handed over to the Singair police station in Manikganj.
It is also known from related sources that they married each other around two years ago, and they have been living together as a family. There has been commotion in the area for quite some time, causing a sensation.
Regarding this matter, Dewan Haider Hossain said that he doesn't know much about these matters. When they were brought to him, he consulted the journalists and sent them to the police station with the guardians.
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Singair Police Station, Ziarul Islam, said that since there was no complaint filed against them, they were released as per the rules.
In another incident, on February 23, 2024, two lesbian teenagers were caught while initiating their marriage after falling in love on Facebook. A 10th-grade student of a madrasa, an Islamic religious education institute, and a lesbian girl from Sylhet were introduced to each other through the social media platform Facebook.
Their acquaintance soon turned into love. After 7 months of being in love, the madrasa student visited the Natore schoolgirl's house, and the police took them into custody from Ekdala in Sadar Upazila on Friday, February 23, 2024, evening. Later, they were handed over to the guardians of both girls.
Md. Mizanur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station, Natore, said that there was commotion when they decided to get married in the Ekdala area on Friday afternoon. Later, locals informed the police station, and the police took them into custody. Subsequently, the girls were handed over to their parents as they were not of legal age.
The madrasa student from Sylhet stated that they were introduced to each other through Facebook 7 months ago. Gradually, their closeness grew, leading them to decide on a same-sex marriage. When another 10th-grade schoolgirl proposed to marry him, he agreed to marry her.
Advocate Shahanur Islam, Founder President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh and a prominent Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist, stated that the detention of four lesbian girls by the homophobic public, followed by calls to journalists for publication and their subsequent handing over to the police, is a clear violation of the rights of privacy as declared by the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
He urges the government to ensure the rights to expression and privacy for every citizen, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity, in alignment with international norms and standards.
JMBF asserts that the detention of the four lesbian girls by the homophobic public represents a blatant form of discrimination against sexual minorities, unfortunately reflecting a broader pattern of human rights abuses against sexual minorities in Bangladesh.
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France urges for the constitutional recognition of homosexuals and LGBT people in Bangladesh. It demands the repeal of Section 377 of the Penal Code and the enactment of laws to safeguard the rights and dignity of individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.
JMBF stands in solidarity with all those affected and reaffirms its commitment to advocating for justice, equality, and human rights for all individuals, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Best Regards,
Advocate Shahanur Islam
Founder President
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF)
Email: saikotbihr@gmail.com
Blog: www.shahanur.blogspot.com
Cell/WhatsApp/Signal: +33(0)7 839523 15
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