Dhaka (AsiaNews) - National and international NGOs have condemned the arrest of Adilur Rahman Khan, a prominent Bangladeshi human rights activist accused of posting "false news" on his organisation's website concerning large-scale bloodshed during a crackdown against Muslim extremists. He was taken into custody yesterday for violating the Information and Communication Technology Act of 2006.
Khan is the general secretary of Odhikar, a leading human rights organisation. His website reported that 61 people were killed on 5 May during a crackdown against one of the many recent strikes (hartal) promoted by Islamist group Hefajat-e-Islami.
Hefajat-e-Islami or Protector of Islam is an Islamic fundamentalist group that developed recently out of local Islamic schools (madrassas). It backs the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Police accuse Khan of posting false information and fake photos on the Odhikar website. "No allegations about killings on 5 May have been brought to us," the police said.
Khan's arrest has been slammed in Bangladesh and internationally. "The arbitrary and unwarranted arrest of Adilur Rahman Khan is an attack on the sense of security of all human rights defenders in Bangladesh," said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development.
"The human-rights situation in Bangladesh is grave," said Bangladesh National Party Chairperson and opposition leader Khaleda Zia. For her, the arrest was made at the government's behest.