A total of 48 eminent citizens, intellectuals and professionals in the country issued a joint statement on Friday (15 September), protesting the arrest of Human Rights organisation Odhikar's Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

"We are deeply concerned by the conviction of two of the rights group's top human rights defenders who have long collected, investigated and published information on disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations. We believe this incident will hinder the practice of basic human rights and discourage human rights activists," the joint statement reads.

"We demand immediate release of Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan," the statement read while demanding the safety of human rights activists and ending all harassment against them.

Among others, the joint statement was signed by Hossain Zillur Rahman, Dr Hameeda Hossain, Ali Imam Majumder, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Professor Anu Muhammad, Professor CR Abrar, Shahdeen Malik, Shahidul Alam, Dr Asif Nazrul, Sara Hossain, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Sanjeeb Drong, Jyotirmoy Barua, and Dr Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan.

On Thursday (14 September), Human Rights organisation Odhikar's Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan were sentenced to two years imprisonment in a case filed in 2013.

At the same time, they were fined Tk10,000 each and sentenced to a one-month jail sentence in default. 

Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan were accused in an ICT case (presently Cyber Security Act) on charges of "distorted report and doctored images" about police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel in the capital on 6 May 2013.

On 10 August 2013, Adilur Rahman Khan was detained after Odhikar published a fact-finding report on extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force to disperse a protest in Bangladesh.

Both were on bail till they were sent to jail on Thursday.