Saturday, January 22, 2011


INTERNATIONAL LABOUR BANGLADESH:
FREE MOSHREFA MISHU:

The following appeal for solidarity with imprisoned Bangladeshi labour activist Moshrefa Mishu comes from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start. There is also a Facebook site devoted to this cause.
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Bangladesh: Free Moshrefa Mishu
Moshrefa Mishu, President of the Garment Workers Unity Forum (GWUF), a trade union of the ready-made garment sector, was illegally arrested on 14 December 2010. The arrest occurred after mass protests of garment workers demanding the implementation of the increased minimum wage. While there was no warrant at the time of her arrest, Mishu is now facing three fabricated criminal charges. She has been ill-treated and threatened with death while in detention, and the police did not allow her to take necessary medicines with her. Mishu's health has deteriorated as a result of ill-treatment and the subsequent denial of adequate medical treatment by politically-motivated doctors while in detention. It is urgent to intervene by insisting that the Government of Bangladesh immediately release Mishu Moshrefa and to drop the fabricated charges.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to the Bangladeshi authorities.
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I have been informed that Moshrefa Mishu, President of the Garment Workers Unity Forum (GWUF), was illegally arrested on 14 December 2010 by heavily armed policemen in plain clothes. The arrest occurred after mass protests of garment workers demanding the implementation of the new minimum wage. While there was no warrant at the time of her arrest, Mishu is now facing three fabricated criminal charges. Mishu has been ill-treated and threatened with death while in detention, and the police did not allow her to take necessary medicines with her. Mishu's health condition has deteriorated as a result of ill-treatment and the subsequent denial of adequate medical treatment by politically-motivated doctors while in detention. Mishu's arrest, her ill-treatment and the fabricated charges constitute a serious violation of human rights. The attack against the garment workers' union also constitutes a violation of ILO conventions 87 and 98. I demand the immediate release of Mishu Moshrefa and that the charges against her are dropped. It is totally unacceptable that people who demand the implementation of their rights and the payment of the agreed minimum wage are intimidated and criminalised.

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