Freedom International's Statement: Don’t harass Tapasi Tabassum Urmi
NN Reports :
The international anti-drug organization Freedom International Anti-Alcohol works in 130 countries around the world, including Bangladesh.
The organization said that women’s empowerment is necessary in a drug free world. The organization’s Central President Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain recently gave a video message in English from their central website 2 freedomintl.org.
In the video message, Dr. Anwar Hossain mentioned that drug addicts first torture their mothers, sisters and brothers for the money to buy drugs. Although there is a clamor for women’s empowerment worldwide, working women in the third world are still very much oppressed.
At this time, he mentioned the case of a working woman in Bangladesh named Tapasi Tabassum Urmi as an example and said that a defamation case worth billions of taka was filed against her for posting just a few words on Facebook. Even attempts were made to file a treason case.
He expressed surprise that the process of framing charges against him was observed on the second day of the hearing in such a simple case.
He also said that in a country like Bangladesh, where a murderer is far from being charged, he has been roaming in broad daylight for 20 years. He also mentioned that where thousands of cases lie idle for years in Bangladesh, the discussion of framing charges on the second day in such a simple case raises suspicion. Even after the second date, a new date for hearing has been set just six days later.
At the same time, he strongly urged the Bangladesh government to proceed with this case at a normal pace like other ongoing cases in Bangladesh. He also strongly urged the Bangladesh government not to harass Taapsee Tabassum Urmi to encourage women’s empowerment.
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain also said that if women are empowered, obstacles to building a drug-free world will be removed.
The Freedom International President said that if harassment of working women worldwide is not stopped, he will be forced to instruct his branches in 130 countries to take action on this issue. He also called on other international organizations and the United Nations to speak out to protect working women from harassment.