Senator Kennedy urges govt to release 12 DU teachers

US Senator Edward M Kennedy has urged the caretaker government to release 12 teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU) and Rajshahi University (RU) detained in connection with student protests in August.
In a letter to the government through Bangladesh ambassador in Washington on October 26, Senator Kennedy said it is wrong for any government to detain individuals for political reasons and deny them access for extended periods to attorneys, family members and medical care.
Expressing deep concern over the issue, he said the 12 prominent intellectuals of the two universities were detained without charges under the authority of the Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) since August. Their arrests were made in connection with student protests and they have not been charged with any crime, he said.
"I'm especially troubled by accusations that they have been tortured. Holding these 12 men without charge and for political reasons is a major assault on the integrity and independence of the academic community of your nation and calls into question your government's commitment to human rights and the rule of law," he added.