Ten years of extreme state repression on Odhikar

Dhaka, 9 August 2023

10th August marks ten years of extreme state repression on Odhikar. On 10 August 2013, Odhikar’s Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan was picked up by members of the Detective Branch (DB) of Police for publishing a report on extrajudicial killings, centering around the Hefazate Islam rally that took place on 5 th and 6th May 2013. Later, Adilur Rahman Khan and Odhikar’s Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan were charged under the Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006 (Amended in 2009). They were released on bail after spending 62 and 25 days in jail respectively. The court case against them has been going on for 10 years and the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka may give its judgement any day now.

PAKISTAN: 30th July 2023, Marks the 18th Year of Enforced Disappearance of Masood Janjua and Faisal Faraz

A joint statement by Defence of Human Rights, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Advocacy Forum-Nepal and CVSJ, Asian Federation Against Involuntary &  Enforced Disappearances (AFAD), Baloch Voice for Justice, CAGE UK, FIND Philippines, Families of the Disappeared (FOD), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), KontraS, Karapatan Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), Latin
American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the DetainedDisappeared (FEDEFAM), Nonviolence International, NKHR, Odhikar, Sindh Sujagi Forum, Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh and Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, on the commemoration of 18th year of Enforced Disappearance of Masood Janjua and Faisal

BANGLADESH: Accountability is a must for ending torture and impunity

A Joint Statement by Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Capital Punishment Justice Project (CPJP), International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), Maayer Daak, Odhikar, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) on the occasion of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2023

Bangkok/Dhaka/Geneva/ Hong Kong/ Kuala Lumpur/Manila/Melbourne/Washington, D.C.: 24 June 2023: On the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June, we, the undersigned organisations, are extremely concerned over the ongoing use of torture and degrading treatment in Bangladesh by law-enforcement agencies and security forces, and the systematic lack of remedies for victims. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to adhere to its human rights obligations under international law by ending its use of torture and ensuring all perpetrators are held to account. We reaffirm our solidarity with victims of torture, their families, and the human rights defenders who speak out on their behalf, and call on the authorities to ensure justice.

Behind Bars of Injustice: Free Khurram Parvez!

Human rights defender Khurram Parvez has spent over 570 days arbitrarily detained by the Indian authorities. Yesterday, he spent his 14th marriage anniversary behind bars, separated from his wife Sameena and his family.