AFP report, September 15, 2023
DHAKA: A Bangladesh court on Thursday sentenced two leading human rights activists to two years each in jail, after a trial critics say is part of a government crackdown ahead of elections.
Adilur Rahman Khan, 63, and Nasiruddin Elan, 57, have led the Odhikar organisation for decades, working to document thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances of opposition activists, and police brutalities. They “were sentenced to two years in prison”, Judge Zulfiker Hayat told the court.
The criminal charges against Khan and Elan related to a fact-finding report they compiled 10 years ago on extrajudicial killings. “They were sentenced to two years in jail for publishing and circulating false information, hurting religious sentiments and undermining the image of the state,” prosecutor Nazrul Islam Shamim said.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1109988-bangladesh-court-jails-top-rights-activists-for-two-years
