When Online Activism Changes Lives | Due to the efforts of two human rights defenders going out of their way in Lebanon and Bangladesh through online communications. A Bangladesh migrant worker, who was wrongly imprisoned for 15 years, suffering torture while imprisonment

It was two weeks ago that I came to know of Sunil’s case, a Bangladeshi migrant worker imprisoned in Lebanon for 15 years. Of his story I had but ten plot points: Charged with murder; Confession obtained under means of torture, in Arabic, a language he did not understand; Sentenced to death; 4 years till appeal; One forensic test, proving his innocence; A prisoner no one knew anything about, uttered hardly a few words, rarely stepped out of his cell; Guards thought he was handicapped; Absentminded; Asked for hygienic products, clothes and cigarettes when aid workers came to visit, the latter to sell to other prisoners for money to make phone calls, etc; Released, pending deportation, and an embassy unwilling to pay for the plane ticket because it was too expensive; Lost touch with family in Bangladesh, and faced with prospect of showing up at the airport alone, with nothing and nowhere to go; Gleaned from his passport: hails from Sakergoni in the district of Barisal. 

At the behest of his dedicated aid workers in Beirut, I sent a flurry of emails to anyone and everyone in Dhaka I thought would care, and at the very least greet him at the airport. What happened next was a miracle. In four days I was connected to Ain o Salish Kendra | Human Rights Organisation | Bangladesh, who not only did greet him, but found and delivered him to his long lost family. 

It’s rare moments like these that I find myself gradually converting to the edicts of Vassily Grossman’s theory: Despite the presence of great evil, as he would call it, senseless kindness remains an unconquerable kernel of human nature.

On 14 June 2013 at about 1am, an ASK team received Sunil Das from the airport, he was looking frail and elderly although he is only 45 years old. He could not walk more than ten minutes without rest due to physical disability. The ASK team took Sunil to stay in a hotel. Once speaking to Sunil about his relatives, later the same night, the ASK team located Sunil’s family.

On  the 15th of June 2013 ASK made arrangement for Sunil Das to go to his paternal resident at Nandapara village of Bakergonj, Barisal.

Lebanon: Police Torturing Vulnerable People http://t.co/9NQATHccUX

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) June 26, 2013