France-Germany Condemn Over Imprisonment Of Adilur And Nasir

France and Germany have expressed regret over the imprisonment of Adilur Rahman Khan, the secretary, and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, the director of the human rights organization Odhikar.

Ja Janowski, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Bangladesh, posted the statement of the two countries on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter).

The statement said that France and Germany respect the rule of law as well as the democratic values of Bangladesh and they will continue to support human rights defenders in Bangladesh like the rest of the world.

The statement expressed regret over the verdict of the Bangladesh court in the case of Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

"We have expressed our concerns about this situation to the authorities and will continue our discussion with them on the matter."

Adilur Rahman Khan received the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and Rule of Law in 2017 on behalf of the human rights organization Odhikar, the statement said.

A vibrant civil society is essential for the prosperity of every nation, the statement said.

Earlier on Thursday, a Dhaka tribunal sentenced two people to two years in prison in the Information and Communication Technology Act case.

On May 5-6, 2013, a case was filed against Adilur Rahman and Elan for spreading 'distorted reports and pictures' about the police raid on the Hefazet Islam rally in the capital's Motijheel.