Dhaka, Aug 20 (V7N) - Odhikar, a human rights organization, has released a list of individuals reportedly killed during the crackdown by the Awami League-led government on May 5 and 6, 2013, which targeted a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.

The list was posted on the organization’s Facebook page on Monday.

In 2013, Odhikar conducted a fact-finding mission into the incident and published a report documenting 61 deaths. Following the release of this report, the Awami League government filed a case against then Odhikar Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and current Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan under Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006 (amended 2009).

The Facebook post claims that since 2013, the Awami League government has intensified its repression of Odhikar through persecution, surveillance, and harassment, compounded by smear campaigns from pro-government media. After over a decade of legal challenges, on September 14, 2023, Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge AM Zulfikar Hayat sentenced Khan and Elan to two years in prison each, along with a TK10,000 fine, for publishing the report on extrajudicial killings.

Following 31 days in Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj, Khan and Elan were released on bail on October 15, granted by Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.

Odhikar is now calling on the interim government to establish an independent inquiry commission led by a Supreme Court judge to conduct an impartial investigation into the May 2013 killings and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

According to Odhikar's report, 61 individuals were killed in the early hours of May 6 when law enforcement forcibly removed Hefazat activists from Shapla Chattar. The government, however, reported only 13 deaths.

In a press briefing on August 10, 2013, Monirul Islam, then Joint Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, stated that no lethal weapons were used during the operation. Law enforcers reportedly employed tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Islam also disputed some of the photos in Odhikar's report, claiming that they included images of people who had died earlier on May 5 or who were still alive.

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