From the American Jewish Committee: Stand Up for Persecuted Bangladeshi Journalist

From the American Jewish Committee (AJC):

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist and the editor of Blitz, the largest English-language weekly tabloid in Bangladesh, has faced persecution imposed by his own government for the last few years. He now faces a sedition trial for speaking out about the threats radical Islam poses in Bangladesh and, is found guilty, could face the death penalty.

On January 16, Representative Mark Kirk and Nita Lowey re-introduced a previous resolution from the 109th Congress (H.Res.64) calling on the Bangladeshi government to drop charges against Mr. Choudhury. The resolution is expected to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 13. AJC and other human rights organizations are calling on world leaders to press Bangladesh to end its campaign of persecution. Mr. Choudhury was arrested in November 2003 when he tried to attend a conference in Israel and imprisoned under extremely difficult conditions. Although he was released last year thanks to the tireless efforts of many government officials including Congressman Kirk, the Bangladesh government continues to harass Mr. Choudhury, intent on silencing him and his views.

In May 2006, AJC presented Mr. Choudhury with its Moral Courage Award recognizing his efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews and his courage to speak the truth against Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, the Bangladesh government prevented him from visiting the United States to receive the honor.

To take action on this, go here.

For other AJC actions (energy independence, voting rights for DC, etc.) go here.

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