The European Union diplomatic missions to Bangladesh on Monday said they were ‘closely monitoring’ the case of detained Adilur Rahman Khan and that “it is essential that no harm comes to him”.
In a statement, the EU delegation said they had conveyed their ‘detailed concerns’ about the detention of rights group Odhikar’s Secretary Khan ‘to the relevant authorities’.
It said they had been following the news of his detention that first broke on Saturday.
The detective police arrested him at his residence for allegedly distorting facts about the May 5 police drive against Hifazat-e Islam activists at Dhaka’s Motijheel.
Odhikar in a report said 61 people were killed during the drive against the government’s claim of zero casualties.
The information ministry sought details of the ‘61 deceased’ in a letter, but the minister Hasanul Haque Inu said Odhikar refused. Instead, he said, the NGO demanded judicial probe into the incident.
Home Minister M K Alamgir said the arrest had been made based on ‘specific allegations’.
Several human-rights groups condemned the arrest and demanded his release. New York-based Human Rights Watch also urged upon Bangladesh’s donors to press the government to release Khan.
The main opposition BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami have already asked for his release. Khan was a Deputy Attorney General during the BNP-led government’s 2001-06 tenure.
In the statement, the EU urged the authorities “to observe due process at all stages of the proceedings against him, and in particular ensure full respect for his human rights”.
“We are familiar with Mr Adilur Rahman Khan and with Odhikar’s reporting of human rights abuses in Bangladesh.
“We consider that a vibrant civil society and the work of human rights defenders have important roles to play in the strengthening of human rights in this country,” the statement read.
It reminded that respect for human rights and democratic principles, as laid down in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, underpins the domestic and international policies of Bangladesh and the EU.
It “constitutes an essential element of our relations, as spelt out in Article 1 of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on partnership and development”.
The diplomatic missions of Norway and Switzerland in Bangladesh associated themselves with this statement.
Source: Bd news24
Information minister Mr ENU reportedly warned the E.U. states governments not to interfere in Bangladesh’s internal matter, as Bangladesh government does not interfere in other states’ internal matter. Mr Khan of ODHIKAR has committed sedition the (Information minister) said .