The human rights defender has received eight weeks of anticipatory bail but remains under a travel restriction and faces alleged surveillance and harassment, the rights body says.
File photo of Shampa Goswmi. Photo: Collected
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File photo of Shampa Goswmi. Photo: Collected
Amnesty International has called on the Bangladeshi authorities to immediately drop sedition charges against women’s rights activist Shampa Goswami, end alleged harassment of her and her family, and lift a travel restriction preventing her from going abroad.
In a Facebook post today (11 November), Amnesty International South Asia said Goswami, executive director of women-led organisation Prerona, was facing sedition charges that carry a possible life sentence.
She received anticipatory bail for eight weeks last week, offering temporary protection from arrest, but the charges and a wider campaign of intimidation against her remain, the organisation said.
Amnesty alleged that the reprisals against Goswami extended beyond the criminal case, with her facing surveillance, intimidation and harassment of her family.
On 21 August, authorities stopped her at the airport while she was attempting to travel to Indonesia to attend an international conference. A travel restriction continues to prevent her from travelling abroad, the post said.
The pressure has also affected Prerona, which Goswami has led since its establishment in 2006.
The organisation works to advance women’s rights, education, health and economic empowerment, particularly among marginalised communities.
Despite submitting the required documents, Prerona continues to face delays in obtaining administrative approvals for its projects, obstructing its legitimate activities, Amnesty said.
The rights organisation urged the authorities to ensure that Goswami and her family are free from harassment and intimidation, and that Prerona can continue its work without obstruction or reprisals.
“Defending human rights is not a crime,” Amnesty said.
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