Abduction attempt of Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan, ASK Director of Investigation

Abductionattempt

Bangladesh

May 16, 2014

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme ofthe World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federationfor Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Bangladesh.

Brief description of the situation:

The Observatoryhas been informed with great concern by Odhikar and Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK) about the abduction attempt of Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan, Director of Investigation at ASK, in Dhaka.

According to theinformation received, on May 15, 2014, ataround 5.10pm, Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan left ASK office in Lalmatia, Dhaka. He gota rikshaw (manually paddled three wheeler) with another colleague, and theywere just a few yards away from the office when a white microbus obstructed therickshaw. Being suspicious, Mr. Nur Khan quickly got down fromthe rickshaw and ran back to ASK office. His colleague noticed five to sixpeople aged around 30 inside the microbus.

The Observatory stronglycondemns the abduction attempt of Mr. Mohammad NurKhan, and fears that it merely aims at sanctioning hishuman rights activities. Along with hisorganisation, Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan has always been very vocal against humanrights violations, including enforced disappearances, in Bangladesh, inparticular those committed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) since itsinception in 2010.

Recently, Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan observed that he was constantly followedby a person on a motorbike, who was even inquiring about his movements at theoffice reception. In this context of insecurity, Mr. Nur Khan had alreadyfiled, on April 20, 2014 a General Diary (No 1557) with Mohammadpur policestation. After the incident of May 15, he filed another General Diary (No1250).

The Observatory urges theauthorities of Bangladesh to conduct an immediate, thorough, effective, and impartialinvestigation in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before acivil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal sanctions providedby the law, as well as to adopt urgent measures to protect and guaranteethe physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan and, more generally,of all human rights defenders in Bangladesh.

Action requested:

Please write tothe authorities in Bangladesh, urging them to:

i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychologicalintegrity of Mr. Mohammad Nur Khan as well as of all human rights defenders inBangladesh;

ii. Orderan immediate, thorough, effective and impartial investigation into theabove-mentioned facts, the result of which must be made public, in order toidentify all those responsible, bring them before a competent and impartialcivil tribunal and apply to them the penal sanctions provided by the law;

iii. Put anend to any kind of harassment against all human rights defendersin Bangladesh and ensurein all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimateactivities without any hindrance or fear of reprisals;

iv. Conform withthe provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially:

- its Article 1, which states that“everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, topromote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights andfundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, as well as

- its Article 12.2, which provides that theState shall “take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by thecompetent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others,against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adversediscrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of hisor her legitimate exercise of his or her rights”;

v. Ensure in allcircumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordancewith international human rights standards and international instrumentsratified by Bangladesh.

Addresses:

· Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister, Officeof the Prime Minister, Gona Bhaban, Old Sangsad Bhaban, Tejgaon, Dhaka,Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 8113243, Email: pm@pmo.gov.bd

· Professor Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Adviser tothe Prime Minister (International Affairs), Old Sangsad Bhaban, Tejgaon, Dhaka1215, Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9111312
Email: advinternational@pmo.gov.bd

· Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, State Minister forHome Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh Secretariat Building 8, 1stand 3rd florr, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9515541. Email: stateminister@mha.gov.bd

· Mr. Anisul Huq, Minister for Law, Justiceand Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs,Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 7168557

· Md. Shahriar Alam, State Minister forForeign Affairs, Segun Bagicha, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9562188.Email: fm@mofa.gov.bd

· Mr. Mahbubey Alam, Attorney General forBangladesh, Attorney General's Office, Supreme Court Premises, Dhaka,Bangladesh, Email: adv_mahbubey@yahoo.com

· H.E. Mr. Abdul Hannan, Ambassador,Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nationsin Geneva, 65 rue de Lausanne, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 738 46 16,E-mail: mission.bangladesh@ties.itu.int

· Embassy of the People’s Republic ofBangladesh in Brussels, 29-31 rue J. Jordaens, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +322 646 59 98; Email: bdootbrussels@skynet.be

Please also writeto the diplomatic missions or embassies of Bangladesh in your respectivecountry as well as tothe EU diplomatic missions or embassies in Bangladesh.

***

Geneva-Paris, May16, 2014

Kindly inform usof any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory,an OMCT and FIDH venture, is dedicated to the protection of human rightsdefenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.

To contact theObservatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 /+ 41 22 809 49 29

· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 /+33 1 43 55 18 80