OMCT urges govt to drop all charges against Odhikar leaders ahead of case verdict

OMCT World Organisation Against Torture, has called on Bangladesh to stop harassing human rights defenders Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan and to drop all charges against them.

In a Tweet on Wednesday (6 September) the organisation said the leaders of the rights group Odhikar face 10 years jail in 7 September's verdict.

Previously, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also raised concerns over the continued "intimidation and harassment" of the two leaders of Odhikar, a human rights organisation, through legal proceedings in Bangladesh.

It said, "The legal harassment of civil society leaders, human rights defenders, and other dissenting voices is a worrying sign for civic and democratic space in Bangladesh. These cases also represent an important test for the independence of the judiciary in Bangladesh."

According to an HRW statement, on 10 August 2013, Adilur Khan, secretary of Odhikar and a prominent human rights activist, was arbitrarily detained after the group published a fact-finding report on extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force to disperse a protest in Bangladesh.

Khan's whereabouts remained unknown for several hours until the police filed a case against him under the Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006, which was later replaced by the government in 2018 with the Digital Security Act.

The HRW stated that Khan was held in custody for 62 days, while Elan, who was detained later, was held in custody for 25 days. Both were released on bail.

The verdicts are due to be delivered on Thursday (7 September).

"The criminal charges relate to a fact-finding report they compiled 10 years ago on extra-judicial killings. Both have faced harassment and intimidation, and their organisation's licence was not renewed," the HRW statement continued.