Front Line expresses concern regarding reports of police harassment of human rights defender Mr Waliullah Ahmed Laskar in Assam on 4 December 2008. Waliullah Ahmed Laskar is the Liaison Officer and a member of the legal team of Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC), an organisation monitoring and documenting human rights abuses in North East India.

Further Information

On 4 December 2008, at approximately 8:00 pm, Waliullah Ahmed Laskar was in an internet cafe in Guwahati when a group of armed police officers from Dispur Police Station, led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), reportedly entered the café and approached him. The DSP demanded that Waliullah Ahmed Laskar show him what he was downloading, which he did. Waliullah Ahmed Laskar was then held in a police Jeep for 30 minutes while the DSP examined his computer. The DSP and police officers then searched Waliullah Ahmed Laskar´s room and confiscated all of his belongings pertaining to the BHRPC which included documents, his brief cases, laptop, USB flash drive and mobile phone.

According to reports received, Waliullah Ahmed Laskar was subsequently taken to Dispur Police Station where he was questioned by a team from the Subsidiary Investigating Bureau and the Intelligence Bureau until approximately 2:00am on 5 December 2008. Waliullah Ahmed Laskar was subsequently kept in detention while the police informed him that “experts” from outside of Assam were checking the items which had been confiscated. At 9:00 pm of the 5 December 2008 his items were returned to him and he was released without charge.

Prior to his arrest and interrogation Waliullah Ahmed Laskar had been assigned by the BHRPC to prepare a draft Project Proposal on " The Right to Freedom from Torture and Violence: Compatibility of Indian Law and Practice with International Human Rights Standards (focusing on the North East Indian situation)". As a member of BHRPC, he also participates in the ongoing policy making deliberations of the organization. For these reasons Waliullah Ahmed Laskar had been using the internet as his primary source of information concerning violence, torture, terrorism, counter terrorism, policing, human rights etc. The Dispur police allegedly informed Waliullah Ahmed Laskar that the basis of his interrogation was his research of information on these topics by internet.

Front Line believes that the harassment of Waliullah Ahmed Laskar is directly related to his legitimate and peaceful activities in defense of human rights, in particular his research concerning human rights abuses in North East India. Front Line is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Waliullah Ahmed Laskar and all members of BHRPC.