France, Germany express regret over imprisonment of Adilur, Elan

France and Germany have jointly expressed their regret on Saturday over the imprisonment of Odhikar Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and Director ASM Nasiruddin.

Jan Janowski, the deputy head of mission of the German embassy in Bangladesh, posted the joint statement of the two countries on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Joint Franco-German Statement:

& are deeply attached to respect for the rule of law as well as to the democratic acquis in They will continue to support defenders of human rights in Bangladesh, like throughout the world. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/wPtgre19b3

It said France and Germany are deeply attached to respect for the rule of law as well as to the democratic acquis in Bangladesh and that they would continue to support defenders of human rights in Bangladesh, like throughout the world.

"We regret the Bangladeshi court's decision regarding Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan. We have expressed our concern to the authorities on this situation and will maintain our dialogue with them on this case," the statement said.

"We recall that Adilur Rahman Khan, on behalf of the human rights organisation Odhikar, was the 2017 recipient of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law."

"A vibrant civil society is essential to the prosperity of every nation," the statement concluded.

A Dhaka tribunal on Thursday sentenced the two Odhikar high-ups to two years' imprisonment each in an ICT Act case.

Joint Franco-German Statement:
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— Jan Janowski (@JRJanowski85) September 16, 2023

Adilur and Elan were sued due to posting "a distorted report and doctored images" regarding the police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally that occurred in the capital's Motijheel on May 5-6, 2013.

/MHK/