Leading human rights defenders charged and main human rights organisations facing crackdown
Geneva-Paris, September 4,2013. The World Organisation AgainstTorture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory forthe Protection of Human Rights Defenders, condemn the charges against theSecretary and Director of prominent human rights non-governmentalorganisation Odhikar, and urge the authorities of Bangladesh to put animmediate end to the harassment against the NGO and its members.
Today,Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan, Secretary ofOdhikar and a member of OMCT General Assembly, was brought to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM)Court at 9:30am, and kept in the court custody lock-up till 2pm. Yet, anddespite his lawyers' insistence, he was not presented before the Magistrate. At2pm, Mr. Khan was taken back to Kashimpur jail, located three hours away fromDhaka, with no news from the court.
Later in the afternoon, his family and Odhikarlearnt from the electronic media, including Somoy TV, the Daily Star,Prothom Alo and ATN Bangla TV, that the Detective Branch of Police held a pressconference today, during which they announced they had filed a charge sheet againstMr. Adilur Rahman Khan as well as against Odhikar's Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan for “distorting images by using photo shop andpublishing a fabricated report, which enraged public sentiment”, under Section57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, in relation to the fact-finding report issued by Odhikar about the killing of 61 people during an operation carried out on May5-6, 2013 by law enforcement agencies against Hefazat-e Islam activists at the Dhaka’s downtown Motijheel area. Reportedly, the police submitted an application for issuing awarrant of arrest against Mr. Nasiruddin Elan.
The Observatory recalls that Mr. Adilur RahmanKhan was arrested on August 10, 2013, and transferred to Kashimpur jail number1 on August 13. While his lawyers’ application for “division” in jail wasinitially rejected, on September 2, 2013, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court orderedthat Mr. Khan be given division in prison and issued a show cause notice to theGovernment to explain why they had not granted Mr. Khan division. Asper Chapter 35 of the Jail Code, Mr. Khan should now be entitled to his owncell, a bed, and the privileges of using writing material and having a separatelight, a chair and table.
On August 25, 2013, a bail application onbehalf of Mr. Khan was filed in the Metropolitan Sessions Court, and the datefor hearing has been set to September 9, 2013. Moreover, he will be formally charged in court on September 12,when the date for a trial will be given.
“The charges against AdilurRahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan and the crackdown on the leading human rightsorganisation in the country is a down-point for the rule of law in Bangladesh”, said OMCT Secretary General GeraldStaberock commenting on the news. “Nobodyshould be naïve. We are seeing a true crackdown on human rights in the country.It can only be hoped that the judiciary asserts its independence, rejects thecharges and the right to bail and reasserts the rule of law in the country”.
“We further reiterate our call to thePresident of Bangladesh not to promulgate theICT (Amendment) Act, 2013 which was approved recently by the Cabinet as it seems to specifically target Odhikar members and might lead to further arrests and harassment of humanrights defenders in the country”, said Karim Lahidji,President of FIDH.
For moreinformation, please contact:
· OMCT:Delphine Reculeau: +41 22 809 49 39
· FIDH: Audrey Couprie: +33 1 43 55 25 18