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Adilur Rahman Khan

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Adilur Rahman Khan
আদিলুর রহমান খান
Khan in 2024
Adviser for Industries
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 August 2024
Chief AdviserMuhammad Yunus
Preceded byNurul Majid Mahmud Humayun
(as Minister)
Adviser for Housing and Public Works
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 August 2024
Chief AdviserMuhammad Yunus
Preceded byR. A. M. Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury
(as State Minister)
Personal details
Born (1961-07-02) 2 July 1961 (age 63)
Munshiganj, East Pakistan, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Alma mater
OccupationHuman rights activist
Lawyer
Awards
Websiteodhikar.org

Adilur Rahman Khan (born 2 July 1961 in Munshiganj or Bikrampur) is a human rights activist and the founder of Odhikar, a human rights organisation. He is a lawyer and former Deputy Attorney General for Bangladesh. Since October 2022, Adilur Rahman Khan has been one of the Secretaries General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). He has been serving as an adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh since August 2024.[1]

Early life

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Khan studied law at the University of Dhaka.[2] He was part of the democratic movement against Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad.[2] He earned his masters in law degress from the University of Dhaka and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.[2]

Career

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Khan and several other members of civil society founded the human rights organisation Odhikar on 10 October 1994.[3][4]

Khan is a former Deputy Attorney General of Bangladesh.[5] In December 2005, he represented the government of Bangladesh in a ruling where the High Court asked the government to explain its failure to protect the judiciary bomb attacks by Islamist militants.[6] He resigned from the post on 14 May 2007.[5]

In 2013, a case was filed against Khan for 'spreading confusion' about the death toll in the operation to remove Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, an Islamist exremist organization,[7][8] leaders and activists during the 2013 Shapla Square protests in Dhaka.[9][10][11] On 10 August 2013, at 10:30 pm, Khan was detained by Detective Branch.[12] He was detained under Section 54 of the Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006 and denied division in jail.[13] Canada called for his release through the High Commissioner in Dhaka Heather Cruden.[14] Numerous human rights activists in Bangladesh called for his release.[15] Dipu Moni, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided a briefing to diplomats in Bangladesh.[16] Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Zafar Ahmed of the High Court Division asked the government to provide division status in jail to Khan in September 2013.[17] In October 2013, He was released from jail after securing bail from Justice Borhanuddin and Justice KM Kamrul Kader of the High Court Division.[18][19] In January 2014, Khan and Odhikar's director ASM Nasiruddin Elan, were indicted in case filed over its report on the 2013 protests.[20]

In 2014 he won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, created to honour individuals around the world who have shown great courage and have made a significant contribution to human rights in their country. The same year, he also won the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, an award that recognises "individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work."[21] Also in 2014, he was a finalist for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.[22]

Khan was detained in Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Malaysian Immigration in July 2017.[23] He was deported back to Bangladesh the next day.[24]

In September 2023, Khan and Nasiruddin Elan were sentenced to two years in prison and fined 10,000 taka by the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka in a case filed over inflating the death toll from the 2013 Shapla Square protests and government action to remove the protestors.[25][26][27] France and Germany expressed regret over the verdict.[28] Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum, a lawyers body aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, protested the verdict.[29] Shortly before heading to court for the verdict, Adilur Rahman Khan told Netra News that he believed they should have been acquitted, emphasizing that their work was solely for the cause of human rights and justice. He stated that even if imprisoned, they would continue their human rights efforts upon release. Khan explained that Odhikar initially withheld the names of victims out of concern for their families' safety, as they feared retaliation from the authorities. He underscored that Odhikar's role was not only to investigate and document but also to protect the victims and their families. [30]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Yunus-led interim govt sworn in". The Daily Star. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Adilur Rahman Khan - Martin Ennals Award Adilur Rahman Khan". Martin Ennals Award. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ^ ANFREL (9 October 2019). "25 Years of Resilience: Statement from Odhikar on its 25th Anniversary". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Human rights defenders in Bangladesh are at constant risk: An interview with Adilur Rahman Khan on Bangladeshi CSO Odhikar". civicus.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b "DAG Adil resigns". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. ^ "HC Rule on Attacks on Courts, Judges". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Hefazat-e-Islam and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh". East Asia Forum. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Opportunism catching up with Bangladesh's Awami League". East Asia Forum. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Odhikar's Adilur Rahman gets two-year jail". Dhaka Tribune. 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Odhikar's Adilur, Elan sentenced to 2 years in jail". The Business Standard. 14 September 2023.
  11. ^ "List of '61 deceased' sent to int'l watchdogs". The Daily Star. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan still arbitrarily detained". OMCT. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Adilur Rahman still in prison!". The Daily Star. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Canada for immediate release of Adilur". The Daily Star. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Rights activists demand release of Adilur". The Daily Star. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Diplomats not convinced". The Daily Star. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Adilur to get division in jail". The Daily Star. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Adilur gets 6-month bail". The Daily Star. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Adilur freed on HC bail". The Daily Star. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Odhikar secretary, director indicted". The Daily Star. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Gwangju Prize for Human Rights". May 18 Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  22. ^ "ADILUR RAHMAN KHAN 2014 FINALIST". martinennalsaward.org. Martin Ennals Awards. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Odhikar secretary Adilur detained at Malaysian airport". The Daily Star. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Reason behind detention still unknown: Adilur". The Daily Star. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Bangladesh jails activists for 2013 report on security force killings". BBC News. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Imprisonment of Top Rights Activists in Bangladesh Triggers Global Outrage". VOA. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Odhikar secretary, director jailed for two years". The Daily Star. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  28. ^ "France, Germany express regret over jailing of Adilur, Elan". The Daily Star. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Pro-BNP lawyers protest 'instructed' verdict against Odhikar officials". The Daily Star. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Adilur Rahman Khan: "Whatever we have done has been done for the cause of human rights and justice"". Netra News — নেত্র নিউজ. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  31. ^ "Adilur gets Franco-German prize for human rights". New Age. 7 December 2017.
  32. ^ "Adilur gets IBA int'l human rights award". The Daily Star. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Adilur gets Franco-German prize for human rights". New Age. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
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