Acharnement judiciaire contre Adilur Rahman Khan
Le 14 septembre 2023, les défenseurs des droits humains Adilur Rahman et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan ont été condamnés à deux ans de prison par le Cyber Tribunal de Dhaka.
Le 9 janvier 2017, la Haute cour du Bangladesh a rejeté la demande déposée par les défenseurs des droits humains MM. Adilur Rahman Khan et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan pour annuler l'accusation formulée à leur encontre en septembre 2013. Ils avaient alors été accusés de « publication d'images et informations fallacieuses » et de « trouble à l'ordre public. »
Le 25 mai 2016, le directeur adjoint de la Commission anti corruption du Bangladesh (ACC) M. Jalal Uddin Ahmed a interrogé le défenseur des droits humains M. Adilur Rahman Khan à propos de l'implication présumée de l'organisation Odhikar dans du blanchiment d'argent, dans le cadre d'une enquête ouverte en 2013.
Adilur Rahman Khan est secrétaire d'Odhikar, une organisation de défense des droits humains fondée en 1994 dans le but de sensibiliser à la question des droits humains et de suivre la situation au Bangladesh. À ce jour, l'organisation a formé plus de 500 défenseur-ses des droits humains. En 2014, Adilur Rahman Khan a été finaliste du Prix Front Line Defenders pour les défenseur-ses des droits humains en danger.
- Haut
- À propos de
- 21 Septembre 2023 : Les défenseurs des droits humains Adilur Rahman et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan condamnés à deux ans de prison
- 11 Janvier 2017 : Acharnement judiciaire contre l'organisation de défense des droits humains Odhikar
- 30 Mai 2016 : Acharnement judiciaire continu contre l'organisation de défense des droits humains Odhikar
- 4 Août 2015 : Harassment against human rights NGOs
- 5 Février 2014 : Surveillance and intimidation of family of Mr Adilur Rahman Khan
- 23 Janvier 2014 : Ongoing judicial harassment and fear of new charges against Messrs Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasirudden Elan
- 18 Octobre 2013 : Human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan, released on bail
- 6 Septembre 2013 : Charge sheet submitted to the Magistrate Court against human rights defender Mr Adilur Rahman Khan
- 15 Août 2013 : Arbitrary arrest and detention of human rights defender Mr Adilur Rahman Khan
Le 14 septembre 2023, les défenseurs des droits humains Adilur Rahman et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan ont été condamnés à deux ans de prison par le Cyber Tribunal de Dhaka. Les défenseurs des droits humains sont secrétaire et directeur d’Odhikar, une organisation de défense des droits humains renommée qui documente les violations des droits humains au Bangladesh. Ce jugement fait suite à une plainte déposée contre les deux défenseurs pour avoir publié « un rapport déformé et des images trafiquées » sur l’intervention de la police lors d’un rassemblement de l’Hefajat-e-Islam à Motijheel, dans la capitale, le 5 mai 2013. Les défenseurs et l’organisation font l’objet de représailles en raison de leur travail légitime en faveur des droits humains. Adilur Rahman et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan ont déjà été victimes de campagnes de diffamation et d’acharnement judiciaire dans le passé et sont aujourd’hui confrontés à des risques pour leur bien-être physique et psychologique. Front Line Defenders condamne le ciblage d’Adilur Rahman et d’A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan et s’inquiète de l’effet paralysant que cela peut avoir sur les organisations et les défenseur⸱ses des droits humains dans le pays.
Le 9 janvier 2017, la Haute cour du Bangladesh a rejeté la demande déposée par les défenseurs des droits humains MM. Adilur Rahman Khan et A.S.M Nasiruddin Elan pour annuler l'accusation formulée à leur encontre en septembre 2013. Ils avaient alors été accusés de « publication d'images et informations fallacieuses » et de « trouble à l'ordre public. »
Adilur Rahman Khan est juriste à la Cour suprème du Bangladesh, ancien Procureur général adjoint du pays ainsi que fondateur et secrétaire d'Odhikar. A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan est directeur de cette même organisation. Celle-ci a été créée en 1994 avec pour objectif de faire avancer les droits civiques et politiques des citoyens du Bangladesh et de jeter les bases d'un mécanisme de surveillance et de sensibilisation des violations de ces droits. Odhikar aide aux plaidoyers relatifs aus droits humains dans le pays, forme des défenseurs des droits humains et conduit des enquêtes de terrain dans les zones rurales du Bangladesh.
Le 9 janvier 2017, la Haute cour du Bangladesh a ouvert la voie à la reprise par l'instance inférieure des poursuites contre Adilur Rahman Khan et A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan au titre de la loi sur les technologies de l'information et de la communication. La Haute cour a en effet rejeté une pétition déposée par ces deux défenseur des droits humains et annulé une décision précédente de la Haute cour du 21 janvier 2014 intimant au tribunal pour les délits cybernétiques de suspendre les poursuites, ordonnant par là même au dit tribunal de reprendre les poursuites.
Le 4 septembre 2013, les deux défenseurs des droits humains ont été accusés d'avoir violé la section 57 de la loi sur les technologies de l'information et de la communication de 2006. Ces accusations sont basées sur de fausses allégations qui prétendent qu'Odhikar a inclus des photos truquées dans un rapport d'enquête et inventé une liste de 61 personnes tuées par la police lors d'une opération contre un rassemblement de Hefazate Islam en mai 2013. Depuis, l'affaire a été transférée devant le tribunal pour les délits cybernétiques.
Plusieurs actes de représailles perpétrés par la Commission anti-corruption ont visé Odhikar depuis 2013. Après la publication du rapport d'enquête, Adilur Rahman Khan a été détenu pendant 62 jours. Le directeur d'Odhikar, M. A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan, a passé 25 jours en détention. L'organisation a également été visée par une campagne de diffamation dans les médias soi-disant orchestrée par le gouvernement.
Front Line Defenders condamne fermement l'acharnement continu d'Odhikar et de son personnel, en particulier Adilur Rahman Khan et A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan, car cela semble uniquement motivé par leur travail légitime et pacifique pour la promotion et la protection des droits humains au Bangladesh.
Le 25 mai 2016, le directeur adjoint de la Commission anti corruption du Bangladesh (ACC) M. Jalal Uddin Ahmed a interrogé le défenseur des droits humains M. Adilur Rahman Khan à propos de l'implication présumée de l'organisation Odhikar dans du blanchiment d'argent, dans le cadre d'une enquête ouverte en 2013.
Download the Urgent Appeal (PDF)
Le directeur adjoint a informé le défenseur que l'enquête porte sur la somme de 97000€ qui selon l'ACC aurait été déposée sur le compte d'Odhikar à la banque Standard Chartered, dans le cadre des activités de blanchiment d'argent.
Adilur Rahman Khan dément toutes les accusations portées contre Odhikar. Il a expliqué que la somme de 97501,07€ disponible sur le compte de l'organisation faisait partie d'une contribution de l'Union européenne pour aider Odhikar à mettre en place un projet sur trois ans intitulé "Formation à la Convention contre la torture (CCT) et Protocole officiel du programme de sensibilisation de la CCT au Bangladesh" de 2012 à 2014. Le contrat de subvention a été signé par l'organisation et l'UE le 6 décembre 2010. L'argent avait alors été transféré sur le compte en banque Standard Chartered d'Odhikar avec la permission du Bureau en charge des affaires des ONG (NGOAB) du Bangladesh.
Le 8 juillet 2013, l'organisation a reçu un second versement de la subvention, qui a été en partie utilisé pour la mise en place du projet susmentionné, toujours avec la permission du NGOAB. Selon Adilur Rahman Khan, tous les rapports relatifs aux activités du projet et leurs audits financiers, requis par l'UE et le gouvernement du Bangladesh, ont été transmis aux autorités compétentes. Ces dernières n'ont soumis aucune objection jusqu'en 2013 après que l'organisation a commencé à utiliser le second versement de la subvention. À ce moment-là, le NGOAB a révoqué la permission d'utiliser les fonds attribués par l'UE et depuis, ils "dorment" sur le compte d'Odhikar.
Le 22 mai 2016, Odhikar a reçu une lettre officielle de l'ACC, écrite quatre jours plus tôt, en vertu des sections 19 "pouvoir spéciaux de l'ACC concernant une demande ou une enquête" et 20 "pouvoir d'enquête" de la loi de 2004 de la Commission anti corruption, qui stipulent que l'organisation doit fournir toutes les informations à l'ACC concernant les ressources et les détails des dépenses de l'argent disponible sur le compte d'Odhikar. La lettre souligne qu'en cas de non respect de cet ordre, des poursuites judiciaires seraient intentées contre l'organisation.
L'ACC a mené de nombreux actes de représailles contre Odhikar depuis 2013, après que l'organisation a publié un rapport de mission d'enquête sur les exécutions extrajudiciaires au Bangladesh. Après cette publication, Adilur Rahman Khan a été arbitrairement détenu pendant 62 jours avec le directeur d'Odhikar, M. A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan, détenu 25 jours. Il y a eu ensuite une campagne de diffamation médiatique contre l'organisation et les défenseur-ses des droits humains, vraisemblablement orchestrée par le gouvernement. En août 2013, la section d'enquêtes de la police a confisqué les ordinateurs d'Odhikar ainsi que les documents importants qui contiennent des informations confidentielles à propos des victimes et de leur famille, et ne les a jamais rendus.
Front Line Defenders condamne fermement l'acharnement continu d'Odhikar et de son personnel, en particulier Adilur Rahman Khan et A.S.M. Nasiruddin Elan, car cela semble uniquement motivé par leur travail légitime et pacifique pour la promotion et la protection des droits humains au Bangladesh.
Front Line Defenders exhorte les autorités du Bangladesh à:
1. Cesser immédiatement l'enquête en cours infondée sur le blanchiment d'argent, et mettre fin à toute forme de harcèlement contre l'organisation Odhikar et son personnel, car Front Line Defenders pense que tout cela est uniquement lié à leur travail légitime et pacifique en faveur des droits humains;
2. Garantir qu’en toutes circonstances, tous-tes les défenseur-ses des droits humains au Bangladesh puissent mener à bien leurs actions légitimes en faveur des droits humains, sans craindre ni restrictions ni représailles.
On 2 August 2015, the Police Headquarters in Dhaka issued a press release accusing two human rights organisations, Odhikar and the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC) of "subversive activities." The accusations are regarding statistics released by the human rights groups on extra-judicial killings that had been published in a newspaper. The newspaper report detailed the involvement of the Bangladeshi police into seven extra-judicial killings committed in July 2015.
The police statement called the research results unlawful, aiming to challenge the judicial system in Bangladesh and to ruin police's reputation. The police consider the research results to amount to defamation, which can be charged as a criminal act in Bangladesh.
Odhikar is a human rights organisation founded in 1994 with the aim of raising awareness on human rights and monitoring violations throughout Bangladesh. Odhikar regularly publishes reports on issues of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and election irregularities. For several years the NGO and its members have been targeted by the authorities through surveillance and intimidation. The secretary of Odhikar, Mr Adilur Rahman Khan, was arrested in 2013 and charged with “publishing false images and information” and “disrupting the law and order situation”. Although he was released on bail later, the charges against him are still pending.
This act of harassment comes within the context of general crackdown on civil society, in particular through restrictions of freedom of expression. The proposed Cyber Security Act 2015, which is currently under consideration of the authorities, foresees further criminalisation of defamatory and “anti-State” publications, and might severely inhibit the ability of human rights defenders and civil society to to speak up about human rights violations.
On 5 February 2014, at approximately 4pm, a relative of human rights defenderMr Adilur Rahman Khan was followed by two men on a motorcyle. When the relative realised that the motorcyle had followed the car from their home to Gulshan, where Adilur Rahman Khan's home and office are located, they returned home, only to be followed home by the motorcycle.
This latest incident comes in the context of continuous surveillance and intimidation of Adilur Rahman Khan, his colleagues at Odhikar, and his family. It is alleged that the Detective Branch of Police have been monitoring the Odhikar office for some time. Members of this branch of police have repeatedly been seen stationed outside the office. They questioned the security guard and other staff regarding Adilur Rahman Khan, including with regard to his whereabouts and his routine movements.
It is alleged that one of the men who followed Adilur Rahman Khan's relative on 5 February 2014 was the same man who questioned the security guard earlier in January. When Odhikar staff asked the men who they were, they replied that they worked at the nearby “Spark Net” with a “Mr Mahmood” but refused to show their ID cards. When Odhikar contacted Spark Net, they were told that no such person worked there.
On 22 January 2014, human rights defenders Messrs Adilur Rahman Khanand Nasirudden Elan appeared before the Cyber Crimes Tribunal to submit an order for a stay in proceedings which had been granted the previous day by the Bangladeshi High Court. Later that day, at about 3pm, the human rights defenders had their statement taken by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in relation to a money laundering case. It is feared that this may lead to new false charges against them.
Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasirudden Elan are, respectively, the secretary and director of human rights organisation Odhikar. Adilur Rahman Khan was arbitrarily arrested on 10 August 2013 and detained until 11 October 2013. On 4 September 2013, both human rights defenders were charged with violating Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act of 2006. These charges relate to false allegations that Odhikar used manipulated photographs and fabricated a list of 61 people who were killed by police during the crackdown on the assembly of Hefazate Islam in May 2013. The case has since been transferred to the newly formed Cyber Crimes Tribunal.
On 8 January the Cyber Crimes Tribunal directed that witnesses be examined on 22 January, an order which was appealed on 15 January by the legal team acting on behalf of the human rights defenders. On 16 January a request was filed at the High Court for a stay in the proceedings of the Cyber Crimes Tribunal until the disposal of said appeal, as no evidence of criminal offence could be established based on the evidence submitted. On 21 January, the High Court granted a three-month stay.
After presenting the order for the stay in proceedings to the Cyber Crimes Tribunal on 22 January, Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasirudden Elan went to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at the invitation of the deputy director, Mr Harunur Rashid. Mr Rashid had informed the human rights defenders that after going through Odhikar's documents and accounts he had not found any illegalities and wanted to formalise his findings. However, upon arrival, they realised that Mr Rashid was instead taking a statement from them under section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Examination of witnesses or accused persons) in relation to a money laundering case filed as Case no. 58/2013. Within minutes, sections of pro-government media arrived at the ACC with video cameras, and television footage was later released with the caption “Adilur Rahman Khan being investigated on money laundering charges”.
Odhikar is also currently under investigation from the NGO Affairs Bureau, and the stay granted on 21 January 2014 is due to be challenged on 23 January 2014.
On 11 October 2013, Adilur Rahman Khan was released after the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh granted him a six-months interim bail on 8 October 2013.
Adilur Rahman Khan had been held in detention since 10 August 2013 and was charged on 4 September 2013 under Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act 2006.
On 10 August 2013, at approximately 10:20 pm, Adilur Rahman Khan was arrested in front of his house at Gulshan – the same building which houses the Odhikar offices – by about 10 plainclothes Detective Branch (DB) police officers and taken to the DB custody facility on Mintoo Road in Dhaka. On 13 August 2013, he was transferred to Kashimpur-1 jail.
On 4 September 2013, the DB of the police submitted a charge sheet against Adilur Rahman Khan accusing him of violating Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act of 2006. These charges relate to allegations that Odhikar used manipulated photographs and fabricated a list of 61 people who were killed by police during the crackdown on the assembly of Hefazate Islam in May 2013. Adilur Rahman Khan's case has since been transferred to the newly formed Cyber Crimes Tribunal.
Since his detention on 10 August 2013, Adilur Rahman Khan has been denied bail three times: once by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on 11 August 2013 and twice by the Cyber Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on 9 and 25 September 2013. The human rights defender subsequently challenged the Cyber Crimes Tribunal’s order of 25 September and filed an appeal with the High Court requesting it to grant him bail. Subsequently, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court took the decision on 8 October 2013 to grant a six-months interim bail.
On 9 October 2013, the Office of the Attorney General appealed against the High Court Division's decision before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, but the decision was upheld. In accordance with the High Court order, the prison authorities were to release Adilur Rahman Khan on 10 October 2013; he was eventually released on 11 October.
On 4 September 2013, the Detective Branch (DB) of the police submitted a charge sheet against human rights defender and secretary of human rights organisation Odhikar, Mr Adilur Rahman Khan for violating Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act of 2006. The charge sheet also included the name of the director of Odhikar, Mr Nasiruddin Elan. It is therefore expected that the police may proceed to arrest him.
On 10 August 2013, Adilur Rahman Khan was arrested by about 10 plain clothes DB policemen. He was later transferred to Kashimpur-1 jail on 13 August 2013.
Adilur Rahman Khan arrived at the Magistrates Court at 9.30 am on 4 September, after a 3-hour drive from the Kashimpur-1 jail where he is detained. After waiting for two hours inside the courthouse, he was transferred to another holding cell where he had to wait, standing, for another 2.5 hours. He was not allowed to appear before the Court, despite the repeated requests of his lawyers. At 2 pm, police brought him back to the Kashimpur-1 jail.
At 4 pm, his family and Odhikar staff learnt from the media that the DB police had submitted a charge sheet against Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, for violation of Section 57 of the ICT Act, which punishes the “publishing of false images and information” and “disrupting the law and order situation of the country”. Adilur Rahman Khan's bail hearing is scheduled to take place on 9 September. He is to be formally charged in court on 12 September and the trial date will be set on the same day.
The charges against Adilur Rahman Khan relate to baseless allegations that Odhikar used manipulated photographs and fabricated a list of 61 people who were killed by police during the crackdown on the assembly of Hefazate Islam in May 2013. Odhikar recently published a fact-finding report on the incident supporting these conclusions. The DB police has reportedly held a press conference confirming the charges. The police have now reportedly requested an arrest warrant against Nasiruddin Elan.
On 13 August 2013, human rights defender Mr Adilur Rahman Khan was transferred to Kashimpur-1 jail where he remains in custody while the investigation against him continues. The human rights defender was arrested without a warrant on 10 August 2013 and later charged with'publishing false images and information'and 'disrupting the law and order situation.'
On 10 August 2013, at approximately 10:20 pm, Adilur Rahman Khan was arrested in front of his house at Gulshan – the same building which houses the Odhikar offices – by about 10 plainclothes men from the Detective Branch (DB) of the police force and taken to the DB custody facility on Mintoo Road in Dhaka. No arrest warrant was presented at that time.
At 2 am, various human rights defenders attached to Odhikar made their way to the police station in Gulshan where the police on duty explicitly denied having a case on file against Adilur Rahman Khan, or having any information about his arrest. At 3 am, the human rights defender's wife attempted to lodge a General Diary at the Gulshan police station. The duty officer refused to accept this, stating that the case was 'sensitive'; this was repeated by the Officer in Charge once he had been summoned on the insistence of Adilur Rahman Khan's wife.
On 11 August, at 1:20 pm, Adilur Rahman Khan was led before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court, where the charges against him were first read out. The human rights defender has been charged under clauses 1 and 2 of section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act (2006).
Two General Diaries had been lodged against him: number 268 dated 10 August 2013, filed by the Detective Branch of Police (North), according to which the human rights defender was arrested under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure; and number 514 of the same date, filed by Gulshan Police Station, despite their denials to the wife of Adilur Rahman Khan and Odhikar staff about having any knowledge of his arrest. The human rights defender's petition for bail was rejected by the court.
During the evening of 11 August, between 8:20 pm and 9:00 pm, police searched the Odhikar offices and confiscated three laptops and two desktop hard drives.
Adilur Rahman Khan was finally transferred to Dhaka Central Jail at 3 pm on 13 August, and later, finally, to Kashimpur-1 Jail.
The charges against the human rights defender are reported to relate to a fact-finding report about human rights violations that occurred during the police crackdown against the Hefazate Islam rally at Motjiheel on 5-6 May 2013. Odhikar's fact-finding mission report concluded that 61 people had died at in the incident. In response to the report, the Government sent a letter on 10 July requesting that Odhikar hand over a list with the full names and addresses of the deceased, which Odhikar denied unless the list would be handled by an independent commission set up for the purpose. Furthermore, in recent years Odhikar has repeatedly seen its human rights projects been frustrated by the authorities who delayed approval. Front Line Defenders issued an urgent appeal on such an event on 29 July 2011.
