Human rights organisation Odhikar on Wednesday demanded immediate release of its secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and said that it acted bona fide for the just and
proper cause of human rights without prejudice to any quarter.
In a statement, Odhkiar clarified the positions of both the organisation and its secretary Adilur Rahman, also a Supreme Court lawyer.
The statement also aimed to remove ambiguities about the role, philosophy, activities and commitments of Adilur and Odhikar.
in the statement, Odhikar and Adilur’s family expressed gratitude to all for prompt support, campaigns and solidarity extended by various groups, print and electronic media; and human rights defenders at home and abroad.
They said that Adilur Rahman was picked up by the Detective Branch of police inhumanely without any warrant of arrest from his Gulshan house on August 10 night.
‘Odhikar believes that it has acted bona fide for the just and proper cause of human rights, without prejudice to any quarter. Odhikar urges the government to release Adilur Rahman Khan immediately, showing due respect to the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Odhikar expects that no person should be subjected to harassment and false persecution, which is the basic philosophy of any human rights defender and activist,’ the statement reads.
Since its inception in 1994, Odhikar has been showing its commitments towards a just and proper cause of human rights, for which Odhikar has gained high acclaim at home and abroad, including by the United Nations, the statement said.
It said that Odhikar never made any discrimination towards any religion, race, sex or political group on the issues of human rights and in reporting violations.
Activities of Odhikar include reporting, advocacy and fact finding on rights violations including disappearances, extrajudicial killing, torture and political violence and it is under constant watch by the government, the statement said.
It said that the periodic human rights reports of Odhikar were published and disseminated every month under all regimes since its inception.
The continuous work of Odhikar and its publication of human rights reports over the years establish its credibility and signify its neutral objectives, which prove that Odhikar is always and only for the cause of human rights, the statement said.
The statement said that the police forwarding report before the court claimed that Odhikar did not provide the information ministry with the details about the reported 61 deaths, as Odhikar had claimed in its report, in police action on Hefajat-e-Islam activists on May 5 in Dhaka.
The statement said that Odhikar had replied to the ministry that it was ready to submit the details about the people killed before a judicial inquiry commission and requested the government to form a commission.
Odhikar is concerned about the security of the victim families and cannot disclose their identities to any authority excepting a judicial commission, it said.
The statement also mentioned that the police raided Odhikar office on Sunday and took away different documents and devices.
Odhikar is concerned that such information may be distorted by the authorities and the security and rights of the victims and witnesses violated. Information is also being collected by the intelligence agencies regarding Odhikar’s director and local level human rights defenders, as the latter organised rallies in protest of Adilur’s arrest in different districts, the statement said.
-With New Age input
