Article by BDNews24

Wife claims SQ being tortured Thu, Dec 16th, 2010 1:32 pm BdST

Dhaka, Dec 16 (bdnews24.com) — BNP leader and war crimes suspect Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury has been tortured after his arrest, his wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury has claimed. Farhat said, "The on-duty doctors at Bangabandhu Medical University have told me that the right side of his face had marks of wounds and his dress got stained with blood near the left chest." "This is how my husband had been tortured," said Salahuddin's wife while talking to reporters in front of the intelligence headquarters at the capital's Minto Road at 10:30am on Thursday. She also said her husband was not being provided proper medical treatment. "We're now suffering from a sense of insecurity." Farhat feared that Salahuddin might be tortured further after taking him on remand in 'false' cases. BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury has been arrested, a day after the International Crimes Tribunal sought permission to arrest him on war crimes charges. A team of RAB and Detective Branch of police arrested him from a Banani house around 4:30am on Thursday, officials of the law enforcing agencies told bdnews24.com. But they did not confirm on which charges he was arrested. Slamming the arrest, Farhat said, "He has been tortured in police custody …. this is humiliating for a politician and an MP." Torturing without trial and any proof of allegation is illegal, she said. Salahuddin's relatives and supporters have been at the intelligence headquarters since morning. BNP lawyers — Mahbub Uddin Khokan, Sanaullah Mia and Fakhrul Islam -- were also there. But they said they were not being allowed to see their arrested political colleague. Quoting the duty officer there, the BNP lawyers said Salahuddin would be produced before court at 2pm. BNP office secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said party secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain had convened an emergency press conference at 1:30pm Thursday in this connection. bdnews24.com/sm/adk/mr/1234h