Chaudhury: "My fate is in extreme dark now. . ."

Greetings from Dhaka !
There is a saying, "Before the dawn there is extreme dark". My fate is in extreme dark now. The court presided by Mohammed Momin Ullah, Metropolitan Session Judge, has framed the charge on 12th of October. November 13th is the date for hearing the witnesses. The judge is over enthusiastic in awarding me with capital punishment.

That's the word today from Salahuddin Chaudhury, whose case I outlined here.

My deepest thanks to the Israeli peace advocate Ami Isseroff for passing along Salah's message, and for all Ami's tireless efforts to focus attention on this outrageous situation. Ami's with Mideast Web, which has compiled the most complete dossier on the Chaudhury's case. See also the IFEX background.

This afternoon I also heard from Chaudhury's dear friend Richard Benkin of Interfaith, who reports that Chaudhury emerged from hiding Wednesday and appeared in court for what might be called a preliminary hearing. Bail was granted, and the judge - a notorious Islamist - was displeased to see a Bangladeshi lawyer attending as an observer for the US Embassy.

There should have been a lawyer observing for Canada's High Commission, too. But there wasn't. One could email Canada's High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Barbara Richardson, and ask her why: dhaka@international.gc.ca.

Here's what Chronicles' Canadian readers can do. Write letters of protest, to:

Mr. Md. Lutfozzaman Babar, State Minister for Home Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Fax: 880-2-7171611

Or at least to:

Rafiq Ahmed Khan, High Commissioner for Bangladesh to Canada, 275 Bank Street, Suite 302, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2L6 ( bangla@rogers.com).

And also write to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, urging him see that Canada takes every possible measure on Salah's behalf: Peter MacKay, 125 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G2, (peter.mackay@international.gc.ca) .

Then there's Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham (grahab0@parl.gc.ca), the NDP's Jack Layton (Layton.J@parl.gc.ca) & the Bloc's Gilles Duceppe (Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca). Michael Ignatieff (ignatieff.m@parl.gc.ca ) was also very helpful in the case of Ramin Jahanbagloo when Ramin was in prison in Iran. Who knows. Maybe he might try to do something for Salah.

I've done all of the above. I'm at a loss about what more to do.

But there must be at least one MP in Ottawa who's capable of taking a few minutes to beome familiar with this case, and raising a question in the House of Commons.