serafina rape - Dhaka Mirror

Serafina Rape, Suicide: Mother sues 9 ‘rapists’

Admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:25:56 +0000

Nine alleged rapists of Serafina Mardi, an ethnic minority girl who committed suicide failing to stand humiliation, were sued yesterday with the first court of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal here.
Tribunal Judge Afzal Hossain took cognisance of the case filed by the victim’s mother Sushana Soren.
The accused — Nirmol Soren, Porimal Soren, Rajon, Jewel, Elias, Shimon Hembrom, Simon, Julian, and Karlus Mardi — are still free.
The tribunal asked Godagari police to probe the allegation in line with another case filed by police for provoking the girl to take her own life.
Serafina of Amtulipara in Godagari upazila committed suicide by setting herself on fire on February 20 to protest an out-of-court settlement of her rape.
A catholic priest and 12 other community leaders allegedly forced the victim and her family members to follow the agreement in order to protect their religion in the village.
After settling the gang rape incident, the rapists and community leaders forced Serafina to marry Nirmol under false pretences only to escape rape charges, alleged Sushana.
Later the community leaders married off Nirmol to another girl of a neighbouring village.
In an attempt to save the rapists from punishment, police did not accuse them in the suicide provocation case, complained the plaintiff.
The law enforcers filed the case on February 23 against the priest and 12 community leaders.
Bangladesh Mohila Parishad assisted Sushana to file the rape case.
Jatiya Adibashi Parishad demanded immediate arrest of the rapists and other accused to ensure justice in the cases.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

The post Serafina Rape, Suicide: Mother sues 9 ‘rapists’ appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.

Family now fears social exclusion

Admin — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:14:23 +0000

Serafina Suicide
Family now fears social exclusion
Serafina Mardi’s family is not willing to take fresh legal action against the rapists fearing social exclusion.
The indigenous girl was gang raped and then set herself on fire succumbing to utter humiliation through her wedding to one of the rapists followed by an out-of-court settlement.
With no response from the victim family, police are too remaining silent about the nine rapists since they arrested 10 persons, including a catholic priest, involved in the arbitration.
The rapists went into hiding taking the advantage of the delay, said villagers.
“I don’t want any more problems by filing a fresh case. The villagers have started avoiding us since the arrest of the priest and other tribal leaders,” said Serafina’s father Cornelius Mardi.
He said, “We want justice and at the same time, a normal life.”
Serafina’s brother-in-law Jacob Soren said the villagers are holding them responsible for the arrests of the leaders and the priest leaving the rapists at large.
SM Rokon Uddin, superintendent of police in Rajshahi, said they found no one to file a case or willing to be a witness. Even the indigenous leaders declined to help them.
The arrests of the religious and tribal leaders leaving the rapists behind created resentment among the indigenous community, said Anil Marandi, president of Jatiya Adibashi Parishad.
“Christian and non-Christian tribal people have become divided as the Christians are blaming the non-Christians for their role behind the arrests of the leaders. But the bottom line is we want justice,” he said.
He informed that both the groups will sit in a meeting on Kakonhat Degree College premises Saturday to decide how they can help the authorities to ensure justice to the victim family.
Meanwhile, the victim family alleged that police and the court were aware of the out-of-court settlement during the trial of the rape case but did not provide necessary support to avoid the community pressure.
Before being arrested, Father Bernard Tudu and community leader Biswanath Tudu informed that they gave police a copy of the settlement.
The Rajshahi SP denied the claim.
However, Sayeda Morjina Khatun, public prosecutor of Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 that tried the rape case, said the victim’s father informed her about the settlement.
“We know it [settlement] was illegal, but the father of the victim was certain of not to continue with the legal process on plea of peace in the community,” she said.
Similar statement came from Dil Sitara Begum Chuni, president of Rajshahi divisional chapter of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association that provided legal support to the victim.
The families of the rapists and a few villagers of Amtulipara of Godagari said the rapists’ families managed Tk 3 lakh to compensate the victim’s family and some others to settle the rape incident outside court.
Selim Reza, an activist of Association for Community Development was also present at the settlement.
He told The Daily Star, “We protested the settlement and managed a safe shelter for the victim to continue her education alongside legal procedures. But her family forced her going back home.”

Courtesy of The Daily Star

The post Family now fears social exclusion appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.

Nine rapists stay safe

Admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:50:08 +0000

Serafina’s Protest in Suicide
Nine rapists stay safe
Nine rapists of Serafina Mardi were let off the legal hook as the victim and her family members gave misleading statements before a court here in a rape case, said SM Rokon Uddin, superintendent of Rajshahi police.
The rapists and their fathers were not even accused in a suicide provocation case filed on Wednesday night, although they were present during an out-of-court arbitration.
There is no scope for bringing the rapists under legal jurisdiction again for the same crime, said the SP adding, they were considering accusing them in the provocation case.
Meanwhile, police yesterday produced the 10 arrestees before the Additional Judicial Magistrate’s Court in the suicide provocation case and prayed for remand of catholic priest Father Bernard Tudu, indigenous leaders Bishwanath Tudu and Monir Murmu.
The court fixed Monday for hearing the remand prayers and sent all of them to jail.
The law enforcers seized a resolution of the out-of-court mediation, held at Surshunipara Catholic Church on April 23 last year, from Father Tudu while arresting him on Wednesday night.
Fourteen-year-old indigenous girl Serafina Mardi was gang raped on April 4 last year. Failing to stand humiliation, she set herself on fire on February 17 and succumbed to her injuries on Monday.
Serafina told the court that her father forced her to file the rape case out of vengeance after Bablu Murmu, father of Nirmol Murmu (one of the rapists), refused to allow his son marry her, said Public Prosecutor Syeda Morjina Khatun.
Her father Corneleus Mardi, sister Dipali Mardi, brother-in-law Jacob Soren also made similar statements before the court, added the PP.
Police said the prosecution cross-checked the witnesses whether they were providing false statements after negotiating the matter with the accused, which the witnesses denied.
Later on November 24 last year, judge Afzal Hossain of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 1 of Rajshahi acquitted all the nine accused as he found the charges not proved beyond doubt.
Contacted, Nina Goswami, senior deputy director of Ain O Salish Kendra, told The Daily Star that the rapists can still be tried in the suicide provocation case as several media reported they teased the victim upon their acquittal.
The medical certificate attested to the fact that the victim was gang raped. So the court could easily conceive that the victim and her family members were providing false statements either under pressure or following an illegal out-of-court deal, she observed.
Referring to a recent case of another victim Hena in Shariatpur, Nina said, “It is an instance of how courts can apply their judicial mind for delivering justice.”

Courtesy of The Daily Star

The post Nine rapists stay safe appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.

Priest, 9 others arrested

Admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:05:09 +0000

Out-of-court Settlement of Rape
Priest, 9 others arrested
Police yesterday arrested 10 people including a catholic priest, Father Bernard Tudu, for their involvement in the out-of-court settlement of rape of Serafina Mardi that led her to commit suicide at Godagari upazila here.
The other arrestees are indigenous community leaders Bishwanath Tudu, Sisti Tudu, Jotin Hendorm, Monir Murmu, Lobin Hendrom, Amin Murmu, Samuel Mardi and Poresh Murmu of Amtulipara village, and another Bishwanath Tudu of neighbouring Shimla village.
Of them, Bishwanath Tudu of Shimla presided over the settlement, said Zakirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Godagari Police Station.
Ataur Rahman, sub-inspector of Kakonhat investigation centre, filed a case with Godagari Police Station in this connection last night.
According to the case statement, the accused persons “provoked” Serafina Mardi, the 14-year-old indigenous girl, to commit suicide.
She died on Monday, two days after she had set herself on fire failing to stand the humiliation. Nine indigenous men raped her on April 4 last year.
Although Father Bernard was not present during the settlement, he handed over Tk 1.40 lakh to Serafina’s family in compensation as per the settlement, the case statement further said.
The nine culprits deposited the money to him following the settlement last year.
Meanwhile, Serafina’s family members yesterday alleged that she was forced to stay with the nuns, also knows as sisters, in their convent at Godagari following the settlement.
Her father Corneleus Mardi told this correspondent that she was kept at the sisters’ house for nearly three months before she fled to her home in October.
Sabina Mardi, her sister, said that Serafina repeatedly asked her father to take her home failing to adjust there. On several occasions, the family wanted to take her home but the priest did not allow, she alleged.
Asked, Father Bernard initially denied that she ever lived at the sisters’ house.
When told about her family member’s claim, he said: “I cannot exactly recall the time, but she had not been there for more than 15 days.”
He also rejected that Serafina fled the sisters’ convent. “She went home with her mother”.
According to him, she stayed with the sisters, as she felt insecure at home.
Sisters at the convent could not be reached for comment, as there was a day-long special prayer yesterday.
Following the gang rape, Serafina was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. The rapists, however, allegedly forced her family to take her home.
She was then taken to a shelter home of a Rajshahi-based NGO, Association for Community Development (ACD).
In the face of pressure from community leaders, her family took her home on July 18.
After the arbitration, the culprits and the community leaders considered it “unsafe” for them to keep the girl at home where human rights organisations can reach her, said her father.
“Serafina was feeling good at the safe home. But once she was taken to the sisters’ house, she started complaining about her life there,” said Sabina, her sister.
After she fled the convent, four accused rapists were released from jail. Police had pressed charges against the nine on August 11 last year but the court acquitted them, as no prosecution witness appeared.
“She was deprived of justice both socially and morally.”
Talking to The Daily Star at the church yesterday, Father Bernard said Serafina took her life because her family rebuked her.
“The morning she set herself on fire, she wanted to visit a relative at Gardang Kamalapur village but she was denied. At this, she was mortified and gave up her life,” said the priest.
He claimed to have heard this from Supriti Tudu, a college student of the village.
Replying to a question, the Father said he never visited the victim’s family since the rape, although she was a member of the community under the church.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

The post Priest, 9 others arrested appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.