May 27, 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in
Bangladesh.
Description of the situation:
Rozina Islam, a senior investigative reporter for the newspaper
Prothom Alo, who has reported on cases of government corruption, including alleged mismanagement and acts of bribery by officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On May 17, 2021, Rozina Islam went to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Dhaka to attend a meeting with the Secretary of the Ministry’s Health Services Division. Officials of the Ministry held her for more than five hours and accused her of taking pictures of official documents containing sensitive information at the office of the Secretary’s personal secretary. While she was being held, Rozina Islam was denied access to a doctor, even
IRAQ and IRAQI KURDISTAN: Systematic targeting of human rights defenders
26/05/2021
Paris-Geneva-Baghdad-Beirut-Erbil, May 26, 2021 – In the framework of the ongoing demonstrations against corruption, unemployment, and for political reform in Iraq, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters, bloggers and independent journalists have been targeted by a wave of threats, kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, and killings. The Observatory (OMCT-FIDH) the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR), Metro Center. Iraqi Al Amal Association (IAA), and Iraqi Network for Social media (INSM) express their utmost concern over these events and call on the Iraqi authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment against human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful protesters and hold perpetrators accountable.