Bangladesh immunity order sparks fears of justice denied

Hundreds died in the student-led revolution that toppled Bangladesh's autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, but those impacted in the violent aftermath fear the new authorities' promise of justice will exclude them.

The family of 16-year-old Shahriar worry those who beat their son into a coma may never face trial, after sweeping immunity from prosecution was slapped on the protesters who took part in the uprising.

The quiet rise and fall of Shahriar's chest, on a ventilator in an intensive care unit in a Dhaka hospital, are the only signs that he is alive.

"My child hasn't opened his eyes or spoken," his distraught father Abdul said, using only his first name for fear of reprisals.

Abdul has barely slept since a mob staved in his boy's head during widespread violence that erupted as Hasina fled into exile by helicopter to India on August 5.

Police, blamed for the deadly crackdown on protesters that left more than 700 dead before Hasina's fall, went into hiding.

Some of the violence that ensued was fuelled by revenge, targeting those seen as loyal to the now-toppled regime.

Officials say at least 46 police officers were killed, while Hasina's Awami League party members were lynched, and buildings set on fire.

Other attacks were motivated by greed or religious hatred.

- 'Anarchy' -

Abdul, from the minority Muslim Ahmadiya Sufi sect from a village in Panchagarh district, fears those responsible for attacking his son will not be held accountable.

His son was out playing when a mob stormed the village, torching Ahmadiya homes and looting businesses.

"Nearly 500 people carrying sticks and hammers stormed into Ahmadiya houses," said Ahmadiya community member Mawlana Muhammad Salauddin, who witnessed the violence.

"The anarchy continued for two hours," he added. "Many took shelter in the mosque, while others hid in the bushes or a neighbour's house"

Ain O Salish Kendra, a leading human rights organisation, reported that at least 318 people, including children, were killed between August 5 -- the day of Hasina's ouster -- and August 8.

The Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) reported 2,010 incidents, including murder and rape, from August 4-20.

Among the many cases were those killed during the August 5 destruction of a museum at the home of Hasina's father, Bangladesh's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sukumar Biswas, a cobbler, said he saw "four burned bodies" in front of the now-charred building.

Their small size suggested "three of them were children", he said.

Another victim, a woman from the Hindu minority, said she was raped on August 5, while her husband hid their three children.

"We haven't sought justice out of fear," she said, asking not be identified.

Some Bangladeshi Hindus, who make up less than a 10th of its 170 million people, were targeted because they were perceived to have supported Hasina.

- 'Autocratic and fascist'  -

But the new government has granted widespread immunity to protesters.

That includes not only events during the revolution, but also for the three days after Hasina's fall.

"A new journey toward a nondiscriminatory Bangladesh has begun with the fall of an autocratic and fascist government," interior ministry spokesman Faisal Hasan said, reading the October 14 order.

"Students and citizens who put forth all efforts to make this uprising successful will not face prosecution, arrest, or harassment for their acts between July 15 and August 8."

In contrast, the police have been busy investigating the old regime, and dozens of Hasina's allies have been arrested.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the fugitive 77-year-old Hasina, whose last confirmed whereabouts was a military airbase near India's capital New Delhi.

Hasina's 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

- 'Each and every case' -

But Nirmal Rozario, from the BHBCUC religious council, said justice must be for all.

"If the government means to ensure good governance, they should investigate each and every case and try the perpetrators," Rozario said.

Human rights barrister Sara Hossain said it was critical that the immunity order not be used to provide "indemnity for anyone involved in crimes of violence", urging the government to clarify its position.

Hossain said neither attacks against minorities, nor reprisals against political party "could be considered acts related to the protest".

In the hospital ward, Shahriar's family wait for a sign.

Heartbroken Abdul spends his days peering at his son from outside the room, with his wife usually going inside for the permitted 30 minutes visiting time each day.

"I spend the whole day on the balcony just to get a peek of him," he said.