New information
MYS 001 / 0717 / OBS 083.1
Obstacles to freedoms of movement and
assembly / Release / Harassment
Malaysia
July 20, 2017
The Observatory for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT) and FIDH, has received new information and requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Malaysia.
New
information:
The Observatory has been informed about
the release and subsequent deportation of Mr. Adilur
Rahman Khan, Secretary of the human rights non-governmental
organisation Odhikar in
Bangladesh[1],
also a member of OMCT General Assembly and FIDH Vice-President.
According to the information received, on July 20, 2017, at around
8 pm, Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan was deported back to Bangladesh after
being detained for more than 14 hours by Malaysian Immigration at Kuala Lumpur
International Airport.
The Observatory recalls
that on July 20, 2017, at about 4.00 am, Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan was denied
entry into Malaysia and detained by immigration officers upon his arrival in
Kuala Lumpur, where he had come to attend the National Conference on Death
Penalty organised by the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) from July 21
to 22, 2017.
At no time during his
detention, he was given access to a lawyer nor a clear reason for his
detention. It is only around the end of this detention that he could meet with
representatives of the National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM).
The Observatory strongly
condemns Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan’s arbitrary arrest and subsequent deportation,
and calls upon the Malaysian authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the
freedoms of movement, peaceful assembly and association of
all human rights defenders in Malaysia.
Moreover, the
Observatory recalls that Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan has been the
subject of relentless acts of harassment over the past years[2], raising fears that he may face
additional harassment upon his arrival in Dhaka. Accordingly the Observatory urges the Government of Bangladesh to make sure that he will
not be subjected to further acts of harassment upon his return to Bangladesh.
Please
write to the authorities in Malaysia, urging them to:
i.
Guarantee
in all circumstances the freedoms of movement, peaceful assembly and
association of Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan, as well as of all
human rights defenders in Malaysia;
ii.
Put an end to any kind of harassment against Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan as well as
all human rights defenders in Malaysia, and ensure that they are able to carry out their
legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals;
iii.
Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,
adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998,
especially its Articles 1 and
12.2;
iv.
Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
in accordance with international human rights standards and international
instruments ratified by Malaysia.
Please
write to the authorities in Bangladesh, urging them to:
i. Guarantee, in all
circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity of Mr.
Adilur Rahman Khan, as well as of all human rights defenders in Bangladesh;
ii. Refrain from any
kind of harassment against Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan, as well as all human
rights defenders in Bangladesh, and ensure in all circumstances that they are
able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of
reprisals;
iii. Conform with the
provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its
Articles 1 and 12.2;
iv. Ensure in all
circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance
with international human rights standards and international instruments
ratified by Bangladesh.
Addresses:
Authorites
from Malaysia:
Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, Prime
Minister of Malaysia, Fax: +60 3 8888 3444, Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
Mr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister of
Home Affairs of Malaysia, Fax: +60 3 8889 1613 / +60 3 8889 1610, Email: ahmadzahid@moha.gov.my
Attorney General of Malaysia, Tan Sri
Mohamed Apandi Ali, Fax: +603 8890 5670 Email: pro@agc.gov.my
Tan Sri Razali Bin Ismail, Chairman of the
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), Fax: +60 3 2612 5620,
Email: humanrights@suhakam.org.my; hasmyagam@suhakam.org.my
H.E. Mr. Amran Mohamed Zin, Ambassador,
Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Fax: +41 22 710 75 01, Email: malgeneva@kln.gov.my
Embassy of Malaysia in Brussels, Belgium,
Fax: +32 2 762 50 49, Email: malbrussels@kln.gov.my
Authorites
from Bangladesh:
· Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of
Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 8113243, Email: pm@pmo.gov.bd
· Professor Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Adviser
to the Prime Minister (International Affairs), Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9111312
Email: advinternational@pmo.gov.bd
· Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, State Minister
for Home Affairs of Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9515541. Email: stateminister@mha.gov.bd
· Md. Shahriar Alam, State Minister
for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. Fax: +880 2 9562188. Email: fm@mofa.gov.bd
· H.E. Mr. Abdul Hannan, Ambassador,
Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nations
in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 738 46 16, E-mail: mission.bangladesh@ties.itu.int
· Embassy of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 646 59 98; Email: bdootbrussels@skynet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic
missions or embassies of Malaysia and Bangladesh in your respective country as
well as to the EU diplomatic missions or embassies in Malaysia and Bangladesh.
***
Geneva-Paris, July 20, 2017
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken
quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection
of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World
Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme
is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human
rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European
Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil
society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency
line:
·
E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
[1] Odhikar
is a prominent human rights NGO that since its inception in 1994 has been
showing its commitments towards the universality of human rights. Activities of
Odhikar include reporting, advocacy and fact-finding activities on violations
considered “sensitive” - such as disappearances, torture, political violence,
etc.
[2] See Observatory
Urgent Appeal BGD 001 /
0813 / OBS 074.8, issued on January 13, 2017.
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