Gobindaganj, Bangladesh – In a display of unity and determination, hundreds of indigenous people in Bangladesh came together to demand justice for a murdered Catholic government officer. The protesters gathered in Gobindaganj in Bangladesh’s northern Gaibandha district, accusing a local lawmaker of involvement in the death of Ovidio Mardy, an acting assistant land commissioner, who was killed on Jan. 11, 2014.
Ovidio Mardy was actively advocating for the land rights of tribal people in Gobindaganj. He had clashed with influential people, including ruling Awami League lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad. Mardy’s name was among those associated with the murder case, along with 12 others. Philemon Baske, president of the joint platform of indigenous people deprived of land rights in Gaibandha, expressed fear that the newly elected lawmaker might manipulate the justice system to deny them justice.
Father Samson Marandy of Dinajpur diocese, who is Mardy’s elder brother, revealed the grisly details of Mardy’s murder, which was made to look like a road accident by the attackers. A lawyer also pointed out that the accident report filed by the police was fake, as it was done without Mardy’s wife’s consent.
The indigenous community’s struggle in Bangladesh is compounded by the lack of representation in international agreements such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous people in Bangladesh often face discrimination and dispossession of their land, with increased poverty levels and influx of non-indigenous people further exacerbating their difficulties.