Bangladeshi student Faisal, who was shot dead by police in the United States, was a victim of racist attacks. He was killed without any evidence of a small knife in his hand. By killing Faisal, the US has clearly violated human rights.
The speakers stated these things at the human chain organized by the conscious civil society in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital to protest the killing of Bangladeshi student Faisal by the police in the United States on Monday.
Ekushey medalist journalist Ajay Dasgupta and Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer barrister Prashant Bhushan Barua were present in the human chain. Representatives of civil society and people of different ages were present in the human chain. During this time they kept chanting slogans like “Want justice for Faisal’s murder”, “We want justice”, “Why did my brother die, respond United States”.
Regarding the 20-year-old Bangladeshi student Faisal shot dead by the American police, Ekushey Medal-winning journalist Ajay Dasgupta said, “A 20-year-old Bangladeshi student Faisal was shot dead in a country like the United States, in violation of human rights where the United Nations headquarters is located. It was alleged that Faisal had a knife in his hand. I don’t see the need to shoot him with a little knife in hand. There is no evidence that he went to kill anyone else or attack the police.”
Ajay Dasgupta provided an example of human rights violations by the US police every year. “The Washington Post reported on January 5 that at least 1,000 people are killed by the American police every year. 98 percent of them are not prosecuted,” he informed.
“There was an opportunity to surrender Faisal. But the police did not do that. Faisal has been subjected to racist attacks. Earlier we saw how George Floyd was killed,” said barrister Prashanta Bhushan Barua, a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
“Human rights are universal. It cannot be exclusive to any white or black color. Human rights cannot be in Africa, Europe, or Bangladesh. The United States intervenes wherever human rights violations are reported in the world. But human rights are being violated one by one by the US police. Its latest victim is our Faisal. We request you not to do business with human rights; do not do politics,” Prashanta Bhushan Barua noted.
“Although the United States talks about human rights in the world, it does not talk about human rights violations in its own country and pretends not to see them. We believe that human rights violations cannot be ‘selective’. Today, from this rally, we demand that Faisal’s killers be brought to justice and compensation be given to his family,” Prashant Barua added, referring to the “selective” role of the United States in human rights issues.
