In the summer of 2010 multiple factory owners supplying major garment retailers such as Walmart, H&M and Carrefour, filed fabricated criminal charges against workers and labour leaders following huge worker protests for better wages. All cases consist of a range of charges with punishments ranging from three months to ten years to life in prison. Some of the charges are punishable by death.
That summer Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter spent 30 days in jail, during which they were threatened and tortured. BCWS organiser Aminul Islam was also imprisoned and beaten by National Security officials. All three are now free on bail; however, the falsified charges against them remain in a total of 11 cases filed by separate factories including Nassa, a major Walmart supplier. Theirs is not the only case of injustice: hundreds of workers and activists face trial, including Mushrefa Mishu from the Garment Workers Unity Forum who was arrested and detained for more than 4 months and who still suffers from health problems due to police maltreatment.
As the largest buyer of Bangladeshi-made clothing, US based Walmart has the power to ensure that Bangladeshi garment workers facing poverty wages and abusive conditions can stand up for their rights without risking harassment, imprisonment and torture. Since the campaign started last year Walmart has claimed their supplier Nassa has withdrawn their charges, however it is clear this is not the case.
Call on Walmart to tell its suppliers that have instigated false charges against Kalpona Akter, Babul Akhter, Aminul Islam, and other labour leaders that those charges must be dropped; that the police and security officials responsible for the alleged torture and mistreatment be investigated and held accountable; and that labour rights defenders like the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity be allowed to operate freely.
