Amnesty urges authorities for Odhikar leaders' immediate release 

The Amnesty International and other rights organisations urged authorities concerned to release Odhikar's Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan immediately as they have been detained solely for their human rights work. 

In a statement on Thursday (14 September) on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the Amnesty International's South Asian Regional Office said, "Amnesty and other rights organisations urge the authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally, as they have been detained solely for their human rights work. 

"The authorities should reverse their convictions, and ensure they are able to continue their human rights documenting and reporting without fear of reprisals," said the post.

In a separate statement, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights said, "Bangladesh authorities should immediately release human rights defenders Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, quash their convictions, and end all reprisals against them for their legitimate human rights work, said 72 organisations today."

Human Rights organisation Odhikar's Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan have been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in a case filed in 2013.

Cyber tribunal judge AM Julfiker Hayet pronounced the judgment on Thursday (14 September), Advocate Mohammad Ahsanuzzaman, lawyer of Adilur Rahman Khan ASM Nasiruddin Elan told The Business Standard (TBS).

At the same time, they were fined Tk10,000 each and sentenced to a one-month jail sentence in default. 

Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan are accused in an ICT case (presently Cyber Security Act) on charges of "distorted report and doctored images" about police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel in the capital on 6 May 2013.

On 10 August 2013, Adilur Rahman Khan, a prominent human rights activist, was detained after Odhikar published a fact-finding report on extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force to disperse a protest in Bangladesh.

Adilur Rahman 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. He was in custody for 62 days; while Elan, who was detained later, was in custody for 25 days.

Both were on bail till they were sent to jail on Thursday.