Organizers of a rally for a University of British Columbia graduate student who was blinded in a vicious attack in Bangladesh say her friends and family are concerned that justice will not be served.
UBC students Nicole Ong and Sarah Meli told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday that Sunday's demonstration outside the Vancouver Art Gallery will not only raise awareness for victims of domestic abuse but will also raise awareness for Rumana Manzur.
The rally will "raise awareness that there is a fear among (Rumana's) family and her that justice will not be served," Ong said.
On June 5, Manzur, who was pursuing a master's degree in political science at UBC, was allegedly brutalized by her husband in front of the couple's five-year-old daughter.
Ong and Meli, who are both friends of Manzur, said they were shocked after they learned of the attack. They said the 33-year-old mother and student always had a smile on her face when she talked about her family.
"You could always tell from her cheerfulness and smile that she had just contacted her daughter," Meli said.
The Fulbright scholar told local reporters during a bedside interview at a hospital in Bangladesh that her husband allegedly gouged her eyes and repeatedly bit her nose, face and throat after a row over Manzur's studies overseas.
Manzur was admitted to LabAid Specialized Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, after the attack. She was transferred to India to see a team of eye surgeons, however, doctors say it's unlikely she will regain her vision.
Manzur's husband, Syeed Hasan Sumon, was detained 10 days after the attack on June 15.
According to local media, he accused his wife of being unfaithful in Vancouver. But residents of Saint John's College at UBC, where Manzur lived, have dismissed Sumon's accusation.
They shared personal statements with local authorities and media attesting to Manzur's dedication to her family.
The incident has sparked anger from women members of the Bangladesh Parliament. An online petition was started in Manzur's name, asking the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for a speedy trial.
In the petition, which has amassed more than 460 signatures, supporters say they "are afraid that justice might not be done; truth might be lost by the winks of the powerful."
