David Bergman (journalist)

David Bergman (born c. 1965)[1][2] is a British investigative journalist.[3] Bergman has worked for Bangladeshi and British newspapers. He first became known in Bangladesh for his reporting on war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War. An investigative documentary on the subject he worked as a reporter and researcher for British television in 1995 won an award.[4][5] Twenty years later, he was convicted of contempt of court by Bangladesh's special war crimes tribunal in 2015 for contradicting the official death toll of the war.[6][7][8] Bergman has also contributed to The New York Times and Foreign Policy.

David Bergman
Bornc. 1965
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham
OccupationJournalist
Known for
SpouseSara Hossain
RelativesKamal Hossain (father in-law)
AwardsRoyal Television Society


Bergman is a former editor[9] and contributor to Netra News,[10] a Bangladeshi news website funded by National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a non-government, bipartisan, US-based organisation, funded by the US Congress and based in Sweden.[11] He was interviewed for the Al Jazeera documentary All the Prime Minister's Men, which the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the report a "smear campaign".[12]

Bergman was once the executive director of the Centre for Corporate Accountability, which promoted the enactment of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 in the United Kingdom.

Personal

David Bergman is the son of Alan Bergman from Hadley Wood, in north London.[1][13][14] He holds degrees in both politics and law[15] and his law degree is from the University of Birmingham.[1][16] Bergman is married to Bangladeshi lawyer and writer Sara Hossain,[17][18][19] who is the co-editor of 'Honor': Crimes, Paradigms and Violence Against Women.[20] His father-in-law is Dr. Kamal Hossain, who has been the president of the Gano Forum political party in Bangladesh since he founded it in 1992.[17][19][21][22]

Activism in Bhopal

Gita Sahgal, who later produced War Crimes File, said she first met Bergman when he was politically active in the relief work after the Bhopal disaster in India.[4] Bergman first traveled from Birmingham, England, to Bhopal in March 1986 by bicycle as a charity to raise £5,000 for the victims of the disaster. While there, he became entangled in a legal dispute over the government's role in relief that The Guardian later dubbed "The Bergman Affair".[23] Other organizations providing relief to the victims of the Bhopal disaster said they were harassed or prevented from being effective because of government intervention.[24]

In September 1986, when Bergman was 21 years old, he was held in custody in violation of India's Foreigners Act and National Security Act and was accused of working for Union Carbide.[1][2] Around the time of his detention, Bergman was on a hunger strike and also suffering from hepatitis, and although he requested the court allow him to travel for treatment his request was denied, as was his father's intervention on behalf of his son's health.[1][13][14][16] He denied the charges as a form of harassment and challenged the lower courts decision.[2][25] His case was heard before the Supreme Court,[2] and the high court decided in his favour and also allowed for his continued stay in India to take part in the relief efforts.[23] Later, the Supreme Court intervened again and forced the lower court to dismiss the charges.[25] Bergman later spoke to the media for the Bhopal Action Group, London, and argued against the sabotage theory advocated by Union Carbide and in favour of design flaws as the cause.[26][27] He also published an article in a law journal about these competing views.[28]

Workers' rights

Bergman was affiliated with the Centre for Corporate Accountability as its executive director for nine years before stepping down in 2009 when it closed.[29][30] While at this organization, Bergman worked on legal issues related to workers' safety issues and the Centre supported the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.[31][32][33][34][35] The law went into effect in 2008 and allows corporations to be charged with manslaughter that occurs inside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, including multinationals.[36]

Journalism

David Bergman is an investigative journalist and previously worked for the UK's Twenty Twenty.[37] He has formerly worked at several Bangladeshi newspapers, including New Age,[38] The Daily Star[39] and bdnews24.com.[40] In addition to writing for Bangladeshi papers, Bergman has contributed to Foreign Policy and The Economist.[41][42] His coverage of the International War Crimes Tribunal appeared in The Independent newspaper.[43]

Between 1999 and 2009, Bergman headed the human rights organisation Centre for Corporate Accountability and advocated for legal reforms on work-related deaths.[29][30]

Notable works of journalism

Bangladesh war crimes

Bergman was the reporter and researcher behind the 1995 documentary film War Crimes File that was aired on British TV Channel 4 about the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities.[4] The film was produced by Gita Sahgal, director of this film was Howard Bradburn, made with the assistance of Bangladeshi filmmaker Tareque Masud, and created for Twenty Twenty.[4][44][45][46] The program received a special commendation in the "Best International Current Affairs Award" category from the Royal Television Society in 1995, which was for its "courageous exposé of Islamic extremists now living in Britain".[47][48][49] The film was subjected to a libel charge by the men featured in the film.[50]

Bergman's personal blog Bangladesh Politico follows the proceedings of the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh, a tribunal set up with solely domestic judges to use domestic law.[5]

Bergman published a controversial opinion article, "A crucial period for International Crimes Tribunal", in New Age on 2 October 2011 that was seen as contempt by Justice Md Nizamul Huq, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and AKM Zahir Ahmed, although the body exonerated Bergman and his publisher, it warned them to be more careful.[51][52][53] In December 2012, Justice Nizamul Huq resigned for Skype Scandal between the justice and Ahmed Ziauddin that compromised the fairness of the tribunal were revealed on YouTube and in publications such as The Economist and Amar Desh.[54][55][56] Elsewhere in the media, Bergman has criticised the due process procedures of the International Crimes Tribunal as flawed.[57] He has been critical of the tribunal's due process and principles in following rule of law.[19] Bangladesh's tribunal raised a further contempt charge against Bergman in April 2014 concerning three articles he had published on his blog about the court. At issue is his writings about how many people died during the Bangladesh Liberation War with the court using the official figure of three million and Bergman saying that number is disputed by evidence.[5] He was convicted by that court at the end of 2014, where it was proclaimed that he "hurt the feelings of the nation."[7][8][6]

Al Jazeera

Bergman has often appeared on the Al Jazeera show Inside Story as a political commentator on Bangladesh.[58][59] The Qatari ruling family is the patron of the Al Jazeera Media Network, with Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani as its chairman. The Qatari ruling family is accused of supporting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood.[60]

In February 2021, Bergman appeared in the Al Jazeera documentary All the Prime Minister's Men which exposed corruption allegations against the Bangladesh Army's 16th chief of staff Aziz Ahmed. The army chief allegedly arranged presidential pardons for his brothers who have been fugitives from Bangladeshi law with convictions for murder and other crimes. The Bangladeshi government statement in response to the documentary mentioned Bergman, Jamaat and said that it "regrets that Al Jazeera has allowed itself to become an instrument for their malicious political designs aimed at destabilizing the secular democratic Government of Bangladesh".[12] In response to a question from a local journalist on the documentary, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina remarked "Some bizarre interactions always happen in Bangladesh’s politics when the line between the ultra-left and the ultra-right blurs".[61] Shahidul Alam, writing in the New Age, advised the government to not slip on a banana peel.[62]

Blog and other writing

Bergman runs a personal blog called Bangladesh Politico.[3] His criticism often focuses on Sheikh Hasina and her family. Bergman has been deeply critical of the Awami League's authoritarianism since Sheikh Hasina was re-elected in 2009. Bergman initially focused on the flaws of the war crimes tribunal set up by Sheikh Hasina's government in 2010. Since 2014, when the national election was boycotted by the opposition, Bergman became a fierce critic of Bangladesh's autocratic drift and human rights abuses by security agencies like the Rapid Action Battalion and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.

Bergman is also the English language editor of Netra News. Apart from the Awami League, Bergman has been critical of Mahfuz Anam,[63] BRAC,[64] the London School of Economics,[65] the Biden administration, the United Nations,[66] Amnesty International India, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, the European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh,[67] Tulip Siddiq, Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and the British Labour Party.[68]

Works
  • Bergman, David. "The sabotage theory and the legal strategy of Union Carbide," New Law Journal, 138, 17 June 1988.
  • Bergman, David. (Director) "War Crimes Files" (documentary), Dispatches (program), Channel 4. 1995.
  • —— (2 October 2011). "A crucial period for International Crimes Tribunal". New Age. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013.
  • —— (15 February 2013). "My response to Tahmina Anam's article on 'Shahbag', 1971 war crimes trials in Bangladesh, and demands for hangings". Bangladesh Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015.
  • —— (16 May 2013). "Witness alleges state abduction". New Age. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014.
  • —— (17 April 2014). "Questioning an Iconic Number". The Hindu.

See also

References
  1. Hamlyn, Michael (17 September 1986). "Briton caught up in 'Bhopal vendetta': David Bergman". The Times (London).
  2. "Court to Hear Man's Plea on Bhopal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Reuters. 30 October 1986.
  3. "The Guardian". theguardian.com.
  4. Khan, Tamanna (20 April 2012). "Defender of Justice". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  5. "Bangladesh files contempt case against British reporter". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  6. Shankar, Sneha (2 December 2014). "British Journalist David Bergman Convicted In Bangladesh For Questioning 1971 War Death Toll". International Business Times.
  7. Greenslade, Roy, "British journalist found guilty of contempt in Bangladesh: He is fined for 'examining' 1971 war statistics," 2 December 2014, The Guardian, retrieved 30 March 2019
  8. "British journalist found guilty of contempt by Bangladesh court for questioning war death toll: David Bergman 'did not have the right' to examine the figures, it ruled," 2 December 2014, The Independent, retrieved 30 March 2020
  9. Bergman, David. "Bergman leaving editorial position at Netra News".
  10. Bergman, David. "Bergman Netra News Page".
  11. "ABOUT". 25 December 2019.
  12. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs".
  13. Hoyland, Paul (9 September 1986). "India holds British aid worker: Arrest of David Bergman under official secrets act". The Guardian (UK).
  14. Ullah, Mazhar (22 September 1986). "Briton faces trial in Bhopal leak". United Press International.
  15. "New Age article contemptuous, says ICT". bdnews24.com. 19 February 2012.
  16. "'Plot to silence' Briton in Bhopal". The Glasgow Herald. 22 September 1986. p. 3.
  17. "Nurul Kabir to continue his defence on Dec 20". BDNews24. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  18. "Yunus verdict today". The Daily Star. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  19. Bergman, David (15 February 2013). "My response to Tahmina Anam's article on 'Shahbag', 1971 war crimes trials in Bangladesh, and demands for hangings". Bangladesh Chronicle. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  20. Hossain, Sara; Welchman, Lynn, eds. (2005). 'Honour': Crimes, Paradigms and Violence Against Women. Zed Books. pp. 9–. ISBN 978-1-84277-627-8.
  21. Anwar Parvez Halim (12 June 2011). "Sons and daughters of political parents". All Voices. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  22. "Two decades of Gono Forum". Probe News. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  23. "Bhopal Briton wins visa ruling: David Bergman affair". The Guardian (UK). 31 October 1986.
  24. Hamlyn, Michael (3 December 1986). "Bhopal gas tragedy claims more victims two years on: Aftermath of Indian chemical plant disaster". The Times (London).
  25. Steyn, Chris (2 January 1987). "Bhopal Briton returns: David Bergman". The Times (London).
  26. Milne, Roger (19 May 1988). "'Act of Sabotage' killed thousands at Bhopal". New Scientist. p. 28. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  27. "India: Challenges Union Carbide's Bid for Personal Settlements". Inter Press Service. 17 June 1988.
  28. Bergman, David (17 June 1988). "The sabotage theory and the legal strategy of Union Carbide". New Law Journal. 138.
  29. Bergman, David (7 October 1999). "Where the blame lies". The Guardian (UK).
  30. "Grantees: Centre for Corporate Accountability". Sigrid Rausing Trust. January 2005.
  31. Mathiason, Nick (17 November 2002). "Company ethics? They're not our business". The Guardian / The Observer. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  32. Bergman, David (2 February 2003). "Work deaths soar as Labour dithers". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  33. "Manslaughter concession". New Law Journal. 157 (7283). 27 June 2007.
  34. Tran, Mark (23 November 2004). "Corporate killing bill unveiled". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  35. Chamberlain, Phil (8 December 2007). "Safety catch". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  36. "The 25 Most Influential Executives in the Business Travel Industry, 2008". Business Travel News. 20 January 2009.
  37. "Who's worked with us?: A list of about 800 of the UK's most talented and skilled people". Twenty Twenty (former website). Archived from the original on 19 July 2004. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  38. "Rejoinder to 'SQ's relatives unperturbed'". bdnews24. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  39. "War crimes act needs reform". The Daily Star. 26 January 2010.
  40. "Where does David Bergman fall short? Toufique Khalidi has an explanation". bdnews24.com.
  41. Bergman, David (15 March 2011). "Is this the End of Muhammad Yunus". Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  42. "Muhammed Yunus: You're fired. No, I'm not, The Economist, 3 March 2011". The Economist.
  43. Bergman, David (5 February 2013). "Bangladesh: Opposition party chief given life sentence for war crimes". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  44. "War Crimes File – A Documentary BY Twenty Twenty Television". Bangladesh Genocide Archive. 19 June 2010.
  45. Gita Sahgal (18 December 2011). "Dead Reckoning: Disappearing stories and evidence". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  46. Ahammed, Rakib; Laskar, Rizanuzzaman (15 August 2011). "2 key witnesses lost". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  47. Holden, Simon (23 February 1996). "Top Award for Diana's Interviewer". Press Association News.
  48. "RTS National Awards" (PDF). Royal Television Society. p. 59. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  49. "Awards and nominations". Twenty Twenty (former website). Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  50. Mohaiemen, Naeem (October 2011). "Flying blind: Waiting for a real reckoning on 1971". Forum. No. Vol v, no 10. The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  51. "New Age editor, publisher, journo reprimanded". The Daily Star. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  52. "New Age editor exonerated". The Daily Star. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  53. Bergman, David (1 October 2011). "A crucial period for International Crimes Tribunal". New Age. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  54. "Justice Nizamul quits International Crimes Tribunal". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 11 December 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  55. "Bangladesh tribunal extends deadline for two journalists to reply to notice". The Daily Star. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  56. "Sedition case filed against Amar Desh editor, publisher". The Daily Star. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  57. "Muslim preacher gets death for Bangla genocide". Oman Tribune. Agence-France Presse. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  58. "🇧🇩What's behind Bangladesh's war crimes trials? l Inside Story" – via www.youtube.com.
  59. "Inside Story - Bangladesh's new reality" – via www.youtube.com.
  60. Trager, Eric (2 July 2017). "The Muslim Brotherhood Is the Root of the Qatar Crisis". The Atlantic.
  61. "Hasina explains why Bangladesh needs Digital Security Act". bdnews24.com.
  62. "I didn't eat the bananas". New Age.
  63. "Re-writing the history of Bangladesh's Padma Bridge criminal conspiracy". 20 December 2020.
  64. "Bangladesh's Ruling Party Family Think Tank". Netra News. 14 October 2020.
  65. "LSE, Sheikh Mujib and the Bangladesh government". 19 January 2021.
  66. "UNDP defends its decision to work with Awami League family organisation". Netra News. 23 October 2020.
  67. "Why is Bangladesh's human rights record on such a steep decline? The diplomatic silence". Netra News. 9 March 2021.
  68. "UK Labour Party's Awami League problem". 11 January 2021.
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