Centre for Applied Human Rights
William Gomes
Bangladesh, CAHR, Summer/Autumn 2012
I am William Nicholas Gomes, a Bangladeshi journalist and human rights activist. As a freelance investigative journalist I have written widely for both European and Asian media outlets. I am the assistant editor for the US based news site Salem-News.com. I have worked with regional human rights organisations such as the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).
In 2007 I founded the Christian Development Alternative (CDA), an NGO active in Bangladesh. The CDA is known for its accurate fact-finding and impartial reporting on human rights issues and using them effectively in local and international media, for advocacy, often in partnership with various human rights groups.
I have continuously raised my voice on the issues of minority rights in Bangladesh.
I have continuously raised my voice on the issues of minority rights in Bangladesh. I have promoted particularly Christian minorities’ rights at state level. Since extrajudicial killings were adopted as an official way of ‘maintaining law and order’ by the State, I have documented many cases of extrajudicial killings, mostly by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which is a paramilitary force. I have brought forward information on a number of extrajudicial killings to both the Bangladeshi National Human Rights Commission and the international community.
I am an active campaigner in demanding the disbandment of the Rapid Action Battalion due to its involvement in torture, extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and other forms of gross violations.
I was associated with the efforts of local, regional and international human rights groups when campaigns to criminalise torture formally started. I have campaigned for passing of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prohibition) Bill of 2009 to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2010. This resulted in the NHRC asking the Law Commission of Bangladesh to recommend the Government to legislate the Bill.
I have been threatened and followed frequently by intelligence forces as I have investigated cases of extra judicial killings, custodial torture, disappearances and other human rights violations for the Asian Human Rights Commission. In 2011 I was abducted by the Rapid Action Battalion, verbally and physically abused and interrogated about my work on documenting human rights violations. Since May 2012 my website, which I have used for human rights advocacy, has been blocked in Bangladesh.
Most recently I have worked with the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, reporting on human rights violations in Asia. At present, during my Fellowship at CAHR, I am working on my book “Torture and impunity in Bangladesh” which I hope to publish in the near future.
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