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NEW: Bangladesh says it has cause to consider arrest violates consular relations accord
Diplomat accused of threatening to kill servant’s members of the family if he tried to flee
CNN
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A high-ranking Bangladeshi diplomat based mostly in New York accused of forcing his servant to work for as much as 18 hours a day with out pay was charged Monday with labor trafficking and assault.
In a case described by the district legal professional as “very disturbing,” Mohammed Shaheldul Islam, 45, a deputy consul basic of Bangladesh, is alleged to have used a mixture of bodily violence and “vile” threats to regulate the sufferer, Mohammed Amin, for a interval of a number of years.
Islam, who has restricted diplomatic immunity, was ordered to give up his passport by the district supreme court docket justice, in keeping with an announcement by Queens District Legal professional Richard Brown. Bail was set at $50,000 bond or $25,000 money. He might withstand 15 years in jail if convicted.
Abida Islam, the director basic of the Ministry of International Affairs’ Americas Wing in Dhaka, stated in a textual content message, “We’ve summoned the US (ambassador) to the Ministry this afternoon and lodged robust protest on the arrest of our (deputy consul basic) New York.”
Requested what step the Bangladeshi authorities would take subsequent, she replied, “Since a authorized continuing has been initiated we are going to comply with the regulation of the land.”
In an official assertion, the ministry stated it had causes to consider the arrest was a “clear violation of the Vienna Conference on Consular Relations.” The assertion didn’t broaden on these causes.
It added that the ministry final 12 months had reported the servant lacking to the US State Division and the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington.
“We wish to state that we had earlier reported in regards to the lacking … home aide. The home aide went lacking about 13 months earlier … from Mr. Islam’s residence,” the assertion stated. “Nonetheless, no replace had been acquired on this matter from the Division of State earlier than the arrest of Mr. Islam.”
Authorities allege Islam organized for fellow countryman Mohammed Amin to journey to the USA between 2012 to 2013 to work for his household in Queens as a home employee, an association frequent amongst South Asian diplomats.
However shortly after his arrival, Islam seized Amin’s passport and warned him that if he tried to depart, he would kill his mom and younger son, or “disgrace” his college-age daughter, in keeping with the felony expenses.
Authorities allege that in this era, Amin’s solely supply of revenue got here from ideas given to him by friends whereas working as a server at events hosted by Islam, and “minuscule” sums despatched by Islam to his household again house in Bangladesh. In line with the costs, Amin was pressured to work 18 hours a day.
If Amin disobeyed his orders, he was allegedly assaulted by Islam, who struck him along with his hand, or typically with a picket shoe.
In 2014, protection of the same case, wherein India’s deputy consul basic in New York was charged with forcing her housekeeper to work lengthy hours for little pay, allegedly prompted Islam to aim to cowl up his actions by taking most of Amin’s tip cash and returning it within the type of a examine, which Amin was then made to deposit into his checking account, “creating the looks that the worker was receiving a paycheck.”
In Could 2016, Amin was in a position to escape from the Queens residence and report his expertise to the police.
Islam has been charged in a 33-count indictment with second- and fourth-degree grand larceny, second- and third-degree assault, labor trafficking, and second-degree illegal imprisonment.
“The lengthy record of 33 expenses within the indictment is a transparent indication of the surprising depth of the deprivation and abuse allegedly meted out by this diplomat in opposition to his helpless home employee,” stated Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
“Bangladesh ought to make an instance of this diplomat by publicly washing their fingers of him, and guaranteeing this by no means occurs once more.”
In line with a report by the Worldwide Labour Group, there are greater than 53 million home staff worldwide, of whom greater than 21 million are in Asia and the Pacific, and this quantity is growing steadily in each developed and creating economies.
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