Odhikar (Bengali: অধিকার) is a Bangladesh-based human rights organization that was founded in October 1994.[2] It is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).[3] It has been publishing an annual activity report since 2003.[4] Odhikar's work has been cited by Human Rights Watch in their 2011 World Report on Bangladesh.[5] The goal for establishing Odhikar was to develop human rights alertness and observing violations in Bangladesh.[6]In September 2023, Odhikar's secretary, Adilur Rahman Khan, and director, ASM Nasiruddin Elan, were arrested and sentenced to two years in prison, as well as a fine, by the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka. Human Rights Watch has called the charges "retaliation" for Odhikar's documentation of human rights violations in Bangladesh.[11] British human rights defender and freelance journalist William Nicholas Gomes wrote to nobel peace prize committee for awarding nobel prize to Odhikar's secretary, Adilur Rahman Khan, and director, ASM Nasiruddin Elan for their human rights works.[13] William Nicholas Gomes also British government officials to intervene.[14] The arrest was done in relation to reporting higher number of fatalities in a 2013 police operation of 61, higher than government figure of 13.[15]
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