LGBTQ rights activists denounce detention of 4 lesbians in Bangladesh
Two lesbian couples were handed over to police by homophobic neighbors
Paris, France; March 20, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) is gravely concerned and aggrieved about the recent detention of four lesbian girls in Manikganj and Natore districts by homophobic members of the public, respectively on Feb. 23 and March 9, due to expressing their sexual orientation and willingness to get married.
In each case, police released the couple without charging them with crimes. Still, these incidents are part of an ongoing barrage of homophobic violations of the human rights of LGBTQ+ Bangladeshis.
Abuses ranging from killings and kidnappings to attempts at forced conversion have been documented in a recent report on hundreds of victims of anti-LGBTQI+ violence.
JMBF considers the four lesbians’ detention to be clear violations of their fundamental human rights and dignity, and urges the concerned authorities to take immediate action against those homophobic individuals involved in such heinous incidents of interfering with personal lives and privacy.
According to reports from online newspapers in Bangladesh, on March 9, local people detained a 26-year-old woman along with her 35-year-old lesbian partner. Later, both women were brought to Dewan Haider Hossain, former general secretary of the Baira Bazar Merchants Association, who informed local journalists. When the journalists arrived at the scene, they were handed over to the Singair Police Station in Manikganj.
It was reported that they married each other around two years ago and have been living together as a family.
The Officer-in-Charge of Singair Police Station, Ziarul Islam, said that since there was no complaint filed against them, they were released as per the rules.
In another incident, on February 23, two lesbian teenagers were caught while initiating their marriage after falling in love on Facebook. After 7 months of being in love, the police took them into custody when they were caught visiting each other in Natore.
Md. Mizanur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station, Natore, said that there was commotion when they decided to get married in the Ekdala area. Later, locals informed the police station, and the police took them into custody. Subsequently, the girls were handed over to their parents as they were not of legal age.
Advocate Shahanur Islam, Founder-President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh and a prominent Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist, stated that the detention of the four lesbian girls, followed by calls to journalists for publication and their subsequent handing over to the police, is a clear violation of the rights of expression and privacy as declared by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
He urges the government to ensure the rights to expression and privacy for every citizen, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity, in alignment with international norms and standards.
JMBF asserts that the detention of the four lesbian girls by the homophobic public represents a blatant form of discrimination against sexual minorities, unfortunately reflecting a broader pattern of human rights abuses against sexual minorities in Bangladesh.
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France urges for the constitutional recognition of homosexuals and LGBT people in Bangladesh. It demands the repeal of Section 377 of the Penal Code and the enactment of laws to safeguard the rights and dignity of individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.
JMBF stands in solidarity with all those affected and reaffirms its commitment to advocating for justice, equality, and human rights for all individuals, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Erasing 76 Crimes has reported on several recent incidents of violence and abuse against LGBTQ people in Bangladesh, including:
- Transgender person murdered — September 2023
- Gay man murdered — November 2023
- Two lesbian girls arrested for planning to get married — January 2024
Because of a typographical error, the first published version of this article stated incorrectly that local people detained a lesbian couple on March 9, 2023. That actually happened on March 9, 2024. The article was corrected on March 23, 2024.
