The British government, different political parties in Bangladesh and rights group Maayer Daak have expressed their concerns for two-year jail sentence of internationally acclaimed human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan and his colleague ASM Nasiruddin Elan in a case over their fact-finding report in 2013.

‘The conviction of Odhikar’s human rights activists–Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan–is concerning. The UK will continue to support human rights defenders, and the essential role they play in supporting free and open societies across the globe,’ Anne-Marie Trevelyan, British minister of state for Indo-Pacific, wrote on her social networking platform X, formerly Twitter, tagging the British high commission in Bangladesh on Saturday.

The United Lawyers’ Front, a platform of opposition lawyers in a statement on Sunday demanded release of Adil and Nasir immediately, calling the verdict dictated by the government.

The ULF also demanded to scrap the verdict, stating that the verdict was given as per the government’s plan to intimidate and oppress freethinkers, journalists, democratic movement activists, representatives of civil society and human rights activists by using state-owned institutions.

Leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, a platform of lawyers leaning to the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, held a demonstration at the entrance to the Supreme Court buildings demanding release of the two rights defenders, calling their convictions as dictated by the government.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD president ASM Abdur Rob and general secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmod Shapon in a press statement demanded quashing of the jail sentence.

The Awami League government was using the judiciary to stop the voices of the people of the opposition parties, the JSD leaders alleged.

Jatiya Mukti Council president Badruddin Umar and secretary Faiezul Hakim in a separate statement also demanded release of human rights organisation officials Adilur and Elan.

National Committee against Fascism and Imperialism president Akmol Hossain and general secretary Hasibur Rahman in another press statement demanded their release.

Edward M Kennedy Jr also wrote on X that he met human rights champion Adilur Rahman when he was in Bangladesh.

‘I am appalled that he is now imprisoned with Nasiruddin Elan, in retaliation for their advocacy…’

Edward M Kennedy Jr, son of late US senator Edward M Kennedy and nephew of late US president John F Kennedy, visited Bangladesh in 2022.

Following the verdict, the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, wrote on X that he did not understand what justified the deregistration of Odhikar and imprisonment of its leaders, including Adilur Rahman Khan, whom he met during his visit to Bangladesh in July.

Maayer Daak, a platform of the families of the victims of enforced disappearances, condemned on Sunday the imprisonment of Odhikar’s secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

It stated that it was widely known at home and abroad that Odhikar stood for the cause of human rights in an independent, impartial and unbiased manner over the past three decades and both the defenders had been actively defending human rights ever since.

‘Odhikar is the voice of voiceless victims and it closely works with victims’ families of human rights abuses, particularly enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture.’

It is widely perceived at home and abroad that Adilur and Elan are victims of political persecution by the present ‘authoritarian regime’ and they have been convicted and sentenced by the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal after a decade of relentless judicial harassment for their human rights activism.

Maayer Daak called upon the Bangladesh government to immediately release Adilur and Nasiruddin.

It also urged the authorities to stop surveillance, harassment and intimidation.

Earlier, the United States, United Nations right bodies, European Union, the French and German embassies in Dhaka and numerous citizen rights groups and human rights activists at home and abroad condemned the jail sentence of Adilur and Nasiruddin Elan.

The Dhaka Cyber Tribunal on Thursday jailed Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan for two years each for a fact-finding report on violence and overnight operations during the Hefazat-e-Islam demonstrations on May 5-6, 2013.

Judge AM Julfikar Hayat also fined them Tk 10,000 each in the case filed with the Gulshan police in 2013 under Section 57(2) of the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006.