Victory! Bangladeshi Labor Leaders Released from Jail

Victory is sweet for the over 1,000 Change.org readers took action to demand the release of Bangladeshi labor rights advocates Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter from jail. Once again, our actions paid off and we have received confirmation that these brave activists from the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS) have been released.

Kalpona and Babul were put in jail on trumped up charges at a time when garment workers in Bangladesh were protesting for better wages. Organizations like the International Labor Rights Forum, United Students Against Sweatshops, SweatFree Communities and the Worker Rights Consortium mobilized activists across the country to pressure the government of Bangladesh, the U.S. government and major U.S. brands that buy from Bangladesh to do more to ensure that labor advocates are able to organize freely in Bangladesh. The AFL-CIO organized a rally at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, D.C. Organizations like the Clean Clothes Campaign, LabourStart and the Maquila Solidarity Network spread the campaign globally. Human Rights Watch, the National Labor Committee, Amnesty International, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and other unions all joined in support of Kalpona and Babul. Members of the U.S. Congress who are part of the International Worker Rights Caucus spoke out as well. The international grassroots response -- including from Change.org readers like you -- made a big difference in this fight.

At the same time, there is still more work to do. While Kalpona and Babul were released from jail, they are still facing legal charges. Additionally, their organization's legal status was revoked before their arrest and has still not been reinstated. Other labor advocates in Bangladesh continue to face similar harassment. That's why solidarity organizations are continuing to call for the government of Bangladesh to "drop the charges that have been filed against the BCWS leaders, restore BCWS’s NGO registration, and cease all repression of legitimate labor organizing and advocacy."

Additionally, they are calling on companies that source from two local manufacturers, Nassa Group and Envoy Group, that played a key role in precipitating the legal charges against BCWS, to stop all orders from these companies until all charges against BCWS are dropped. Tommy Hilfiger has already taken this critical step and more brands must follow to send a clear message that they support worker rights.

Let's celebrate this important victory for the labor movement, but stay committed to the struggle of ensuring that workers have to right to organize for their rights in Bangladesh.

Photo credit: International Labor Rights Forum