Feminist Nasrin surrenders in Dhaka, court grants bail
Feminist Nasrin surrenders in Dhaka, court grants bail
DHAKA (AFP): Fugitive feminist writer Taslima Nasrin yesterday
ended two months in hiding, surrendering before a tightly-guarded
superior court where she was immediately granted bail.
She was sheltered by a western diplomat while in hiding and
has sought asylum in the United States, a diplomatic source said.
Accompanied her lawyers, the 32-year-old doctor-turned writer
showed up at the High Court in Dhaka as hundreds of police in
riot gear fought back a crowd trying to catch a glimpse of her
outside.
Immediately after bail was granted, Nasrin, escorted by her
chief lawyer, Amirul Islam, was whisked away in a private car,
witnesses said. Her destination was not immediately known.
Nasrin has been charged in absentia with offending the
religious feelings of Moslems for making alleged remarks about
the Koran, which she denies.
Moslem fundamentalists accuse her of blasphemy. Thirteen
Islamic and rightwing extremist parties called a rally in Dhaka
last Friday, drawing 200,000 people, to demand her capture and
hanging.
Nasrin went into hiding on June 4, when an arrest warrant was
issued against her after an Indian publication quoted her as
saying the Koran, Islam's holy book, should be partly revised and
brought up to date. She has denied making any such remarks.
The surge of fundamentalism has triggered a sharp response
from secular groups in Bangladesh, who clashed with Islamic
radicals in Chittagong last Saturday and organized a half-day
nationwide general strike.
Speculation
The United States and Western Europe, as well as the human
rights group Amnesty International, have spoken out publicly in
favor of Nasrin, triggering speculation that she may leave the
country and gain asylum abroad.
The judges, A.T.M. Sadeq and K.M. Hasan, earlier yesterday
declined a bail application on her behalf by one of Bangladesh's
top lawyers, Kamal Hossain, who argued that she should be granted
bail in absentia in view of the threat to her life.
The court insisted that Nasrin appear in person before the
application could be heard.
Shortly afterwards, at around midday (0600 GMT), she entered
the first floor court room escorted by lawyer Amirul Islam and
several other people, and applied for bail in person.
Lawyers present in court said Nasrin told the court she had
not been able to surrender before because of the threat to her
life.
She said she had decided to give herself up after the
situation had improved and after taking advice from her lawyers.
Government Attorney General Aminul Haq neither opposed nor
supported the bail petition, saying it was up to the court to
grant bail to the accused.
After listening to both sides during the hour-long hearing,
the judges granted her bail to appear before the magistrates'
court "either in person or through her lawyers."
The judges also directed the magistrates' court -- which
issued the arrest warrant against her and which is due to hear
preliminary proceedings in the case Thursday -- to grant Nasrin
bail of 5,000 taka (US$125) with two local guarantors.