Special Correspondent
Different international human rights organisations have urged Bangladesh authorities to immediately drop criminal charges against two senior members of the leading human rights organisation Odhikar, and end the surveillance and harassment of its workers both in Dhaka and around the country,.
According to a Human Rights Watch (New York based right body) release published on Jan 15, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists made the urges.
Odhikar has been made the target of government harassment for publishing a report on the abuses of security forcesduring Shalpachattar operation in June 2013.
Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, the secretary and director of Odhikar respectively, have been charged under section 57 of the Information and Technology (ICT) Act for publishing a report on violence and fatalities at the hands of government forces during Hefajote Islam rally on May 5 and 6, 2013.
The report alleged that 61 people were killed in the overnight protest, a figure the government vehemently denies.
Khan was arrested on August 11 and detained for 62 days before the High Court overruled the lower courts and granted him bail. Police also raided the Odhikar offices and confiscated computers and other materials. Elan was initially denied bail during his first appearance in court on November 6. They are both now released on bail, pending a hearing on 22 January, 2014.
‘With the politically motivated witch-hunt of Odhikar, Bangladeshi authorities are essentially shooting the messenger and saying that its security forces are above the law,’ said Polly Truscott, South Asia director at Amnesty International.
‘When a credible human rights organisation like Odhikar reports on alleged human rights violations, Bangladeshi authorities should listen instead of trying to silence an important voice,’ Polly Truscott said. ‘The government should ensure an impartial investigation, allowing for all sides to share information, and the effective protection of witnesses,’ Polly Truscott added.
Source: Weekly Holiday
