SAPA Calls for the Immediate and Unconditional Release of ODHIKARs Adilur Rahman Khan Statement of the Solidarity

for Asian Peoples Advocacy September 4, 2013 The Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA), a network of regional and national civil society organizations in the region, expresses its disappointment and frustration over the continued detention of Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan, the Secretary of our member-organization, ODHIKAR. Mr. Khan is a respected human rights lawyer and one of the most vocal critics of human rights abuses in his country and in the region. We cannot help but notice that his arrest and detention came after his organization, ODHIKAR, released a report implicating the Bangladeshi security forces in the deaths of dozens of Islamist protesters in May of this year. This clearly shows that the action taken by the Bangladeshi government meant to sow fear among human rights defenders in the country. There is no way to interpret his arrest other than an attempt to silence the governments critics and stifle dissent. We join the calls of international human rights organizations and other regional and national civil society groups in the region for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Khan as his arrest and continued incarceration has no basis at all. ODHIKAR and Mr. Khan only wanted the truth to come out when they released the report about the Siege of Dhaka incident. We wish to remind Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that she was also a victim of injustice during the military-backed government in 2007 and faced trumped up charges concocted by her countrys security forces. We urge her to prove that her administration is different from the previous interim government and show her commitment to human rights and democracy by ordering the immediate release of our colleague, Adilur Rahman Khan. Inaction over the case of Mr. Khan will only add to the already tarnished image of Bangladesh in the international stage. If Sheikh Hasina wants peace and stability ahead of the national elections, she should release Mr. Khan and provide a safe environment for activists and human rights defenders who want to engage in the political debate in the country. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information and interviews, please contact SAPA Conveners: Mr. William Gois, mfa@mfasia.org (Migrant Forum in Asia) Ms. Dorothy Grace Guerrero, d.guerrero@focusweb.org (Focus on the Global South) Ms. Clark Miitante, cvmilitante@focusweb.org (Focus on the Global South)

SAPA is a network of Asian social movements and civil society organizations that includes NGOs, people organisations, trade unions and other civil society actors and entities who are engaged in action and reflection for advocacy and campaigning with the inter and intra-governmental bodies and processes. It respects and promotes the values and principles of human and peoples rights, social and economic justice, democracy and rule of law, ecologically sustainable development, cultural diversity, gender equality, peace and peoples security and peaceful transformation of conflicts.