A new Amnesty International website will help people in Bangladesh participate in the global campaign against human rights abuses.
The site – www.amnesty.org/bangla – enables Bangla speakers to join Amnesty International’s global community of 2.2 million activists in over 100 countries and was launched on Wednesday 9 January.
It coincides with Amnesty International’s visit to Bangladesh, during which delegates met journalists, bloggers and activists to discuss the state of freedom of expression in the country. Amnesty International is calling on Bangladesh’s Caretaker Government to lift restrictions on freedom of expression imposed under emergency regulations.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right that must be respected and is essential if democracy in Bangladesh is to be resilient and enduring,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Irene Khan.
“Amnesty International’s Bangla website is aimed at encouraging Bangladesh’s vibrant civil society to join the international network of all those who believe that human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere.”
Those interested in becoming Bangla International Members will be able to sign up on the new website. They can also take part in global activism projects such as the ‘Close Guantanamo’ action, due to launch on 11 January (the anniversary of the transfer of the first prisoners).
“The new site aims to harness the power of technology in the 21st century to change the world. Human rights have gone global by going local and we hope Bangla speakers will use their online activism to make a difference on critical human rights issues around the world,” said Irene Khan.