- Category: Statements
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.
- Category: Statements
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
- Category: Statements
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.
- Category: IDD-AFAD-MO
Pahayag ng Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) sa paggunita sa International Week of the Disappeared sa taong 2023
Patuloy ang hamon sa mga pamilya ng desaparecidos ang pagsusulong ng katotohanan at paglaban sa pagbabaluktot ng kasaysayan, partikular sa bagong administrasyong ito na naghahatid ng pamilyar ngunit panibagong mga pangamba hinggil sa pagkamit ng matagal nang hinahangad na hustisya para sa mga biktima ng sapilitang pagwala.
- Category: IDD-AFAD-MO
To commemorate this year's International Week of the Disappeared (IWD), Member Organizations (MOs) of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) conducted a campaign on two fronts, continuously calling on the government to end enforced disappearances (ED), while at the same time raising general public's awareness on ED. The IWD reminds us of the work left to be done in attaining a world without disappearances. As the struggle continues, AFAD and its MOs remain steadfast in speaking and seeking truth about enforced disappearances.
- Category: Statements
Melbourne/ Hong Kong/ Manila/ Kuala Lumpur/ Bangkok/ Dhaka/ Geneva/ Paris/ Washington, D.C.; 25 May 2023: We, the undersigned organisations, are seriously concerned over the unabated enforced disappearances in Bangladesh amid the denial of access to justice for the victims. We also express our deep concern regarding the plight of the victims’ families, lack of accountability for such violations, and lack of due process and judicial safeguards to the victims and their families.
- Category: Statements
Bangladeshi authorities must end reprisals against Odhikar and its leadership and respect the fundamental rights to freedom of association and expression. Those working to document and expose human rights violations should be able to conduct their important work without fear of harassment, intimidation, and reprisals,.
- Category: Statements
Sixteen human rights organisations today called on the Indian authorities to immediately stop the reprisals against human rights defenders and organizations in Jammu and Kashmir, especially Khurram Parvez, Irfan Mehraj, and the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Khurram Parvez[1] has been arbitrarily detained since 22 November 2021 as a reprisal for his human rights work, including documentation and advocacy in Jammu and Kashmir. We are alarmed by new criminal cases filed against Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj, a journalist and human rights defender, in March 2023, and the ongoing reprisals against JKCCS.