[UPDATE]
Several colleagues in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who have been struggling since early morning to have Adilur Rahman Khan be released, have been told that he will be deported back to Dhaka this evening.
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Today, at around 4:00 am local time, Adilur Rahman Khan, Secretary of Odhikar and Vice Chair of FORUM-ASIA was detained by Malaysian Immigration at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. As of now, no reasons have been given for his detention. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Malaysian FORUM-ASIA member, was informed that he has been moved to immigration lock-up.
Adilur Rahman Khan is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, a former Deputy Attorney General for Bangladesh (October 2001 – May 2007) and a founder and the Secretary of the human rights organisation Odhikar. He has been part of the Executive Committee of FORUM-ASIA since 2012, and became Vice Chair in 2016.
FORUM-ASIA calls for the immediate release of Adilur Rahman Khan, and echoes its previous calls to the Government of Malaysia to cease the harassment and persecution of human rights defenders.
We will provide further information as it becomes available.
