France, Germany express regret over jailing of Adilur, Elan

France and Germany have expressed regret today over the imprisonment of Odhikar Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

Jan Janowski, deputy head of mission of the German embassy in Bangladesh, posted the joint statement of the two countries on X, formerly Twitter.

Joint Franco-German Statement:
& are deeply attached to respect for the rule of law as well as to the democratic acquis in They will continue to support defenders of human rights in Bangladesh, like throughout the world. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/wPtgre19b3

It said France and Germany are deeply attached to respect for the rule of law as well as to the democratic acquis in Bangladesh and that they would continue to support defenders of human rights in Bangladesh, like throughout the world.

"We regret the Bangladeshi court's decision regarding Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan. We have expressed our concern to the authorities on this situation and will maintain our dialogue with them on this case," the statement said.

"We recall that Adilur Rahman Khan, on behalf of the human rights organisation Odhikar, was the 2017 recipient of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law."

"A vibrant civil society is essential to the prosperity of every nation," the statement concluded.

On Thursday, a Dhaka tribunal sentenced the two Odhikar officials to two years' imprisonment each in an ICT Act case.

The case against Adilur and Elan was filed for running "a distorted report and doctored images" about the May 5-6, 2013 police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in the capital's Motijheel.