Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organization of West Bengal, strongly condemned the sentencing of Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar’s officials Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan.
On behalf of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum), the organization’s Secretary Kirity Roy sent a letter addressing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday.
A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced Adilur Rahman Khan, the secretary of the human rights organization Odhikar, and ASM Nasiruddin, the director of Odhikar, to two years in prison.
They were convicted of disseminating false information regarding an operation against Hefazat-e-Islam members at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka a decade ago.
In this regard, Masum’s letter stated: “Their unjust imprisonment is based on politically motivated charges and is a grave violation of their fundamental rights as well as an attack to intimidate human rights activities in Bangladesh. Such incidents are against the principles of democracy and justice of the country.”
Both Adilur Rahman Khan and NSM Nasiruddin Elan have long been working on preventing human rights violations by documenting extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and police brutality in Bangladesh.
Odhikar was vocal against the prevalence of killings at the Indo-Bangladesh border by border guards. Their commitment to upholding social justice and democracy by defending the rights of the marginalized communities has been resolute, the statement reads.
In August 2013, following the publication of a fact-finding report issued by Odhikar in May 2013 on the killing of civilians by security forces, Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan were arbitrarily detained for 62 and 25 days, respectively, before being released on bail.
Since then, they have been subjected to continuous judicial harassment by Bangladeshi courts.
Over the years, both the activists, as well as Odhikar have been subjected to smear campaigns, criticized, and demonized by the government for their human rights work. The renewal of Odhikar’s registration was also denied in June 2022.
MASUM strongly condemns the wrongful conviction of the two Bangladeshi activists and calls for the immediate release of the two by quashing the trumped-up charges against them.
“We demand that the Bangladeshi government cease its harassment of these two human rights defenders and respect their right to engage in crucial human rights work without fear of reprisals,” the letter added.
“Furthermore, we strongly urge the Bangladeshi government to uphold the principles of accountability and the rule of law. It is a gross violation of international human rights standards to systematically target human rights defenders and tarnish their images and crucial work. Justice institutions and laws must not be weaponized to suppress dissent and undermine justice.”
The letter concludes: “Under the circumstances, we demand that the Bangladesh government takes immediate actions to ensure their instant and unconditional release and uphold their commitment to rule of law, justice and human rights work in the country.”
