Adilur Rahman Khan Testimony
Supporting the human rights defenders of Bangladesh is, therefore, supporting the people’s aspirations and movement for a democratic Bangladesh. I must add that the Bangladeshi people are brave and resilient; and will fight to uphold their rights.
The Rule of Law is under serious threat in my country. Justice for all the ongoing gross human rights violations is inaccessible for victims and their families. Their right to access to complaint mechanisms is denied, regardless of whatever is written in the laws or the Constitution of the country.
Adilur Rahman Khan is the Secretary of Odhikar, a human rights organisation founded in 1994 with the aim of spreading awareness of human rights and conduct monitoring throughout Bangladesh. The organisation has trained over 500 human rights defenders to date. In 2014 Adilur Rahman Khan was nominated as a finalist for the 2014 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.
Human rights defenders (HRDs) in Bangladesh endure judicial harassment, arbitrary arrest, fabricated charges, abduction, physical attacks, torture and extrajudicial killings. Human rights violations against HRDs are committed by both state and non-state actors including corporations, impunity remains one of the most serious issues of concern, particularly as fatal attacks on human rights defenders and journalsits become increasingly common.
