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allegations of violation of constitutional rights, particularly forced disappearance, extrajudicial killings and tortures, are very important for the victims and their near and dear ones as well as all the citizens of the country,” they said in the statement. “We have noted with anxiety that the NGO Affairs Bureau has decided not to renew the registration of ‘Odhikar’. As the government is being criticised at home and abroad for different incidents of extreme human rights violation, its decision about Odhikar will issue a damaging message, increase the panic in the mind of people about forced disappearance, killing and torture and will indicate a new threat for the proactive human rights organisations,” it added.

The signatories are: former caretaker government advisers Sultana Kamal, Rasheda K Chowdhury; Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury of Gonoshasthaya Kendra; rights activist Hamida Hossain; Prof Anu Muhammad; Dr Iftekharuzzaman; former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder; Sara Hossain; Dr Faustina Pereira; Dr Samina Luthfa; Dr Asif Nazrul; Syeda Rizwana Hasan; Prof Tasnim Siddiqui; Supreme Court lawyers Shahdeen Malik, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua and Subrata Chowdhury; Tabarok Hossain; Prof Swapan Adnan, Prof Robayet Ferdous; Dr Shahnaz Huda; Dr Sumaiya Khair; researcher Beena D’Costa; photographer Shahidul Alam; rights activists Shirin Huq, Nur Khan Liton, Arup Rahee, Rahnuma Ahmed, Rezaur Rahman Lenin, Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed, Hana Shams Ahmed, Ejajul Islam, Professor Parvin Hasan, researcher Saydia Gulrukh and Rozina Begum; Jahangirnagar University’s Nasrin Khandker; Chattogram University’s Mydul Islam and Mayer Dak’s organiser Sanjida Islam.