Abdul Kaium held in judicial custody on fabricated charges
On 3 July 2019, human rights defender Abdul Kaium was released on bail from Mymensingh Central Jail. The human rights defender had been held in judicial custody since 11 May 2019 on fabricated charges.
On 14 May 2019, human rights defender Abdul Kaium was sent to the Mymensingh Central Jail and is due to be held there until his next court hearing, for which no date has been fixed.
Abdul Kaium is a journalist and member of human rights organisation Odhikar’s Human Rights Defenders’ Network. He has provided professional legal advice and representation for victims of judicial harassment. He has also organised rallies to protest against and raise awareness of human rights violations, especially enforced disappearances.
On 3 July 2019, human rights defender Abdul Kaium was released on bail from Mymensingh Central Jail. The human rights defender had been held in judicial custody since 11 May 2019 on fabricated charges.
Abdul Kaium is a journalist, web developer, and member of human rights organisation Odhikar’s Human Rights Defenders’ Network. He has provided professional legal advice and representation for victims of judicial harassment. He has also organised rallies to protest against and raise awareness of human rights violations, especially enforced disappearances.
On 3 July 2019, at around 1pm, Abdul Kaium was released from Mymensingh Central Jail. The human rights defender had been granted bail by the Mymensingh Judge Court the day before, on 2 July 2019. His previous application for bail had been rejected by the same court on 23 May 2019.
Abdul Kaium was arrested by the Detective Branch of the Bangladesh Police on 11 May 2019 after meeting with his client who works as a teacher in a madrassah (religious educational institution) and is a relative of a Member of Parliament of the ruling party. The human rights defender was meeting his client to receive payment for his IT services, but he refused to accept the payment when his client insisted on paying him in US Dollars instead of Bangladeshi Taka. Abdul Kaium was arrested as he was leaving his client’s office. The police accused him of illegally carrying US Dollars and dealing in currency exchange despite the fact that they could not find any US Dollars on him.
On 12 May 2019, the police filed charges against Abdul Kaium for digital fraud; publishing offensive, false, or fear inducing information; and publishing defamatory information under Sections 23, 25, and 29 of the Digital Security Act of 2018, respectively, and for extortion under Sections 385 and 386 of the Bangladeshi Penal Code.
On 13 May 2019, Abdul Kaium was brought before the Mymensingh Judge Court, but the delay in doing so violated the constitutional provision that a person who has been arrested must be produced before a court within 24 hours of their arrest. The police requested to keep Abdul Kaium in remand for five days, while his lawyer submitted a bail application. On 14 May 2019, both requests were rejected by the court, and the human rights defender was sent to the Mymensingh Central Jail to be held in judicial custody until his next court hearing, for which no date was set.
Abdul Kaium’s lawyer submitted another bail application to the Mymensingh Judge Court on 16 May 2019, which was rejected on 23 May 2019.
While Front Line Defenders welcomes the release on bail of Abdul Kaium, it remains concerned by the fabricated charges filed against him, as it believes that they are motivated solely by his peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights. Front Line Defenders urges the authorities of Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Abdul Kaium and guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bangladesh are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
On 14 May 2019, human rights defender Abdul Kaium was sent to the Mymensingh Central Jail and is due to be held there until his next court hearing, for which no date has been fixed.
Abdul Kaium is a journalist and member of human rights organisation Odhikar’s Human Rights Defenders’ Network. He has provided professional legal advice and representation for victims of judicial harassment. He has also organised rallies to protest against and raise awareness of human rights violations, especially enforced disappearances.
On the afternoon of 11 May 2019, Abdul Kaium was arrested by the Detective Branch of the Bangladesh Police on charges of ‘committing fraud by means of [a] digital or electronic medium’ under section 23 of the Digital Security Act 2018. Earlier the same day, the human rights defender had provided IT support to an acquaintance who works as a teacher in a madrassah (religious educational institution). The police arrested Abdul Kaium after he had been paid for his services. They alleged that the human rights defender had committed identity theft against the teacher and that he received the payment as a result of blackmail.
Abdul Kaium was held in custody for three days before being produced before the Mymensingh Judge Court on 14 May 2019. The delay violated the constitutional provision that a person who has been arrested must be produced before a court within 24 hours of their arrest.
On 14 May 2019, when Abdul Kaium was produced in court, the police requested to have him remanded for five days, while his lawyer submitted an application for bail. The Mymensingh Judge Court rejected both the remand and bail requests and sent the human rights defender to the Mymensingh Central Jail. He is to be held in judicial custody until his next court hearing, for which no date has been set.
This is not the first time Odhikar’s Human Rights Defenders’ Network and human rights defenders affiliated to it have faced judicial harassment. The organisation’s secretary, Adilur Rahman Khan, was judicially harassed on multiple occasions between August 2013 and January 2017, while a smear campaign was launched against Odhikar in November 2018.
Front Line Defenders condemns the detention of Abdul Kaium and the charges lodged against him, which it believes are solely motivated by his peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights in Bangladesh.
