The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing, on Bangladesh by Ravina Shamdasani UN Human Rights.
“We are concerned by the Government of Bangladesh’s decision not to approve the renewal of registration for Odhikar, a prominent and vocal human rights organisation in the country. The decision follows repeated accusations by the authorities against Odhikar for “spreading propaganda” and “publishing misleading information” about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances,” she said.
“We urge the Government to immediately reconsider this decision, and to ensure that Odhikar has the ability to seek full judicial review of any such determination. We are further concerned that this decision will have a chilling effect on the ability of civil society organisations to report serious human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms,” she stated.
Odhikar has documented and reported on human rights violations in Bangladesh over many years, including to UN Special Procedures mandate holders, human rights treaty bodies and our Office. Intimidation and reprisals against Odhikar have been documented since as far back as 2013, and appear to have intensified, with accusations levelled against the organisation for “anti-State” and “anti-Government” activities.
“There has been increased surveillance of its activities in recent months. The UN Secretary-General has also raised concerns about reprisals against Odhikar over the past decade for cooperating with the UN,” Shamdasani stated.
Odhikar’s application for renewal of its registration with the NGO Affairs Bureau has been pending since 2014, severely hindering its ability to carry out its work. In 2014, Odhikar’s bank account was also frozen. In view of its practical impact on Odhikar’s ability to operate, we call for Odhikar to be permitted access to its banked funds pending reconsideration of the renewal application.
“Bangladesh has the tradition of a strong and diverse civil society. We call on the Government to foster an enabling environment for civil society to undertake their work without fear of reprisals, particularly in the lead up to the ext elections. Furthermore, civil society actors must not be deterred from cooperating with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms.” Shamdasani said in conclusion.
For more information and media requests, please contact for more information and media requests, please contact: Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: Alley of flags, Palais des Nations
- Wide shot: Briefing room
- Medium shot: participants briefing
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are concerned by the Government of Bangladesh’s decision not to approve the renewal of registration for Odhikar, a prominent and vocal human rights organisation in the country. The decision follows repeated accusations by the authorities against Odhikar for “spreading propaganda” and “publishing misleading information” about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.”
- Medium shot: participants briefing
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We urge the Government to immediately reconsider this decision, and to ensure that Odhikar has the ability to seek full judicial review of any such determination. We are further concerned that this decision will have a chilling effect on the ability of civil society organisations to report serious human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms,” she stated.
- Medium shot: participants briefing
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “There has been increased surveillance of its activities in recent months. The UN Secretary-General has also raised concerns about reprisals against Odhikar over the past decade for cooperating with the UN.”
- Close up: hands and keyboard
SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Bangladesh has the tradition of a strong and diverse civil society. We call on the Government to foster an enabling environment for civil society to undertake their work without fear of reprisals, particularly in the lead up to the next elections. Furthermore, civil society actors must not be deterred from cooperating with the UN
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Palestinians killed seeking food in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Iran-Israel war: UN rights office concerned over strike on Tehran prison, reported espionage arrests
Tehran’s notorious Evin prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Death and suffering in Gaza are ever-present and the enclave's people now have little choice but to risk their lives to fetch aid supplies, UN agencies said on Friday. “I met a little boy who was wounded by a tank shell at one of these sites on the final day of me leaving Gaza - I learnt that this little boy had since died of those injuries,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder. “That speaks to both what is happening at these sites and what is not happening when it comes to medical evacuations.”
1
1
1
Edited News | UNCTAD
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched today the World Investment Report 2025. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 11%, marking the second consecutive year of decline and confirming a deepening slowdown in productive capital flows, according to the report.
1
1
1
Edited News
Afghan journalist Zahra Nader fled twice due to Taliban rule, highlighting severe women's rights issues.
1
1
1
Edited News
Gazan photojournalist Motaz Azaiza documents war's impact, gaining global attention but facing personal peril.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
As the Iran-Israel crisis continued into a sixth day, the UN deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif called for urgent talks to end the continuing exchanges of missile attacks between Tehran and Tel-Aviv.
2
1
1
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Heavy fighting in Sudan continues to escalate as a “direct result” of the continued flow of arms into the country meaning that the war is far from over, top independent human rights investigators said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
More Gazans killed trying to get food, healthcare near to ‘full disaster’
Gaza’s health system is at breaking point, overwhelmed time and again by scores of patients killed or injured near aid distribution sites, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
La situation en République démocratique du Congo est aujourd’hui encore plus grave et alarmante, a averti lundi le Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme Volker Türk.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, highlighting key issues and trends, and the human rights situation in some 60 countries.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
As diplomatic efforts continue to end fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN development agency (UNDP) issued an appeal on Friday on behalf of people uprooted by the violence to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.