4 September 2014. Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS urges Bangladesh’s government to unconditionally withdraw politically motivated criminal charges against Bangladeshi activists Adilur Rahman Khan and Mr ASM Nasiruddin Elan. They were charged one year ago today under the draconian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act for documenting human rights violations.
“Mr Khan and Mr Elan are highly respected civil society activists who have made an immense contribution to support good governance and accountability in Bangladesh”, said Tor Hodenfield, Policy and Advocacy Officer at CIVICUS. “Their rights monitoring and advocacy work through their organisation, Odhikar, is crucial for Bangladesh’s democracy and to meet the country’s human obligations.”
The charges against Mr Khan and Mr Elan stem from the publication of a fact finding report by Odhikar on the alleged killing of 61 people by Bangladeshi security forces during a rally held by Hefazat-e-Islam activists in Dhaka from 5-6 May 2013. Bangladeshi authorities demanded that Odhikar release details of individuals who had submitted testimonials and evidence about the killings, which was rejected by the organization to protect them from reprisals.
As punishment for challenging the government, Odhikar has been subjected to bureaucratic harassment by the NGO Affairs Bureau which has frozen its funds, causing the organisation to downsize. Furthermore, Mr Khan and Mr Elan have been charged or allegedly “distort(ing) images by using Photoshop and publishing a fabricated report, which enraged public sentiment”. If convicted, both activists face up to 10 years in prison.
Although Mr Khan and Mr Elan are currently on bail, their families and representatives of Odhikar have been routinely subjected to unwarranted surveillance, harassment and intimidation by members of the security services, including having their phone lines monitored.
A number of UN actors, including the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, have expressed concern that the charges against Mr Khan and Mr Elan constitute a breach of international legal standards.
CIVICUS urges the Bangladeshi government to (i) immediately and unconditionally drop the politically motivated charges against Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, (ii) cease intimidation, harassment and monitoring and threats against Mr Khan, Mr Elan and their family and colleagues, and (iii) end targeted persecution of Odhikar including through excessive bureaucratic controls and the freezing of Odhikar funds.
ENDS