Bangladesh: Release Human Rights Defender Immediately

Highly respected human rights defender Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan was arbitrarily arrested for 'fabricating facts about atrocities committed by state forces' on the night of August 10, 2013 upon returning to his residence in Dhaka. Human rights organizations are gravely concerned that he may face torture and other forms of cruel and degrading treatment while in police custody and are demanding his immediate release.

On August 11 the Chief Metropolitan Court placed him on remand for 5 days during which he is under police investigation. He was arrested under the 2006 Information and Communication Technology Act, an act which is being used by the government to silence freedom of opinion and expression. As Secretary of Bangladesh’s leading human rights watchdog, Odhikar, Adilur Rahman recently helped to document the deaths of 61 people during an operation conducted by Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies against Hifazat-e Islam activists on May 5 in downtown Dhaka.

As former Deputy Attorney General of Bangladesh and Senior Lawyer practicing at the Supreme Court, Adilhur Rahman has long called upon the government to end torture, extrajudicial killing and other human rights abuses. There is a grave fear that he may be subjected to the kind of torture and other ill treatment that he has long helped to expose. It is also feared that his arrest will have a chilling effect on other human rights defenders and prevent them from speaking out against state abuses.

Stand up for human rights defenders and whistle blowers in Bangladesh and around the world and demand the safe and immediate release of Adilur Rahman Khan.