IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1080 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government 

of Bangladesh should immediately drop all pending charges against 

Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2006 

Mr. KIRK (for himself and Mrs. LOWEY) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Government of Bangladesh should immediately drop 

all pending charges against Bangladeshi journalist Salah 

Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. 

Whereas Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi 

journalist who, because of his beliefs in an interfaith dialogue between Jews and Muslims and criticism of Islamic 

extremism, is on trial for sedition, an offense punishable 

by death; 

Whereas on November 29, 2003, Mr. Choudhury was arrested at Zia International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on his way to board a flight bound for Tel Aviv; 

Mr. Choudhury’s passport was seized, along with considerable sums of money and several personal items; on that 


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•HRES 1080 IH 

same day police raided Mr. Choudhury’s home and newspaper offices, seizing files, computers, and other 

valuables; 

Whereas Mr. Choudhury was detained in Dhaka Central Jail 

for a passport violation, then subsequently charged with 

sedition; Mr. Choudhury suffered harsh interrogation 

techniques and received no treatment for a debilitating 

case of glaucoma; Mr. Choudhury’s incarceration lasted 

17 months without legal recourse; 

Whereas on April 30, 2005, after intervention by the United 

States Department of State and congressional offices, 

Mr. Choudhury was released on bail; 

Whereas in the subsequent months, senior members of the 

Bangledeshi Government made continuous public promises that there was no substance to Mr. Choudhury’s 

pending charges and that all charges would be dropped; 

Whereas on September 29, 2005, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the ‘‘Freedom to Write Award’’ by PEN USA; 

Whereas on May 5, 2006, Mr. Choudhury was awarded the 

American Jewish Committee’s Moral Courage Award in 

absentia in Washington, D.C.; two days prior to Mr. 

Choudhury receiving the award, after returning Mr. 

Choudhury’s passport and appearing to allow him to attend, senior Bangladeshi Government officials issued 

threats to prevent him from leaving the country; 

Whereas on July 6, 2006, Mr. Choudhury’s newspaper offices 

were bombed by an Islamic extremist organization after 

Mr. Choudhury and his staff published articles in support 

of the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority; Mr. Choudhury received a tip about the bombing days before and reported 

it to police, who refused to take action; 


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•HRES 1080 IH 

Whereas on September 18, 2006, a judge with alleged ties to 

an Islamic extremist party ruled that Mr. Choudhury will 

stand trial for sedition; the judge made this ruling despite the Public Prosecutor’s testimony in court days before that the government did not have evidence and 

would not object to the charges being dropped; 

Whereas on October 5, 2006, Mr. Choudhury was attacked 

at his newspaper offices by a large group of individuals, 

including prominent members of the ruling Bangladesh 

National Party; police protection for Mr. Choudhury was 

withdrawn just days before the attack; Mr. Choudhury 

was called an ‘‘agent of the Jews’’ and beaten badly; 

when Mr. Choudhury reported the attack to the police, no 

action was taken; 

Whereas members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom visited with Mr. Choudhury 

on their trip to Bangladesh in February and March 

2006; 

Whereas on October 6, 2006, the United States Commission 

on International Religious Freedom wrote a letter to U.S. 

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian 

Affairs Richard A. Boucher calling on the United States 

Government to strengthen the ‘‘voices of moderation’’ in 

countries like Bangladesh where the rule of law, democratic institutions, and respect for human rights are 

under assault by violent extremists; the Commission identified Mr. Choudhury as one of those voices that should 

not be silenced; 

Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2005 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Bangladesh, 

‘‘Attacks on journalists and newspapers, and government 


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efforts to intimidate them, political party activists, and 

others, occurred frequently.’’; and 

Whereas moderate voices in the Muslim world must be supported and protected to advance the security of the 

United States and its allies: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the Government of Bangladesh should im4 mediately drop all pending charges against 

5 Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib 

6 Choudhury; 

7 (2) the Government of Bangladesh should im8 mediately return all of Mr. Choudhury’s confiscated 

9 possessions; and 

10 (3) the Government of Bangladesh should cease 

11 harassment and intimidation of Mr. Choudhury, 

12 take steps to protect Mr. Choudhury, and hold ac13 countable those responsible for attacks against Mr. 

14 Choudhury. 

Æ 


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