Capital : Dhaka

Land Area : 144,000 sq km

Head of Government : Prime Minister Ms. Begum Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)

Population : 144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)

Major Languages : Bengali, English

Major Religion(s) : Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Date of Joining : 1972

Map

Articles in CHRI Newsletter:

• Bangladesh Burns, Zafar Sobhan, Assistant Editor, The Daily Star, Bangladesh, CHRI Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 4, Winter 2004.

Reports from RTI Updates:

• Working paper on the proposed Right to Information Act 2002, Office Of The Law Commission, 31 January 2002.
• ARTICLE 19, who have advised that they were only able to obtain a copy of the Working Paper in late 2003, has just published a Memorandum on the Law Commission RTI Working Paper. (16/4/04)

News Updates from Prison Reforms:

• Diseases make jail a living hell, The Daily Star, Vol.4, Number 310, 12 April 2004.
• 25 decisions on jail reform implemented, The Daily Star, Vol.4, Number 303, 5 April 2004.
• 7 teenagers in B'baria jail, The Daily Star, Vol.4, Number 292, 23 March 2004.