Taiwan democracy foundation honors Bengali rights group

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) A Bengali human rights group, Odhikar, has been named the winner of a prestigious prize by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) for its decades-long civil and political rights advocacy in the South Asian nation, the foundation said Wednesday.

The 2024 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (ADHRA) will be awarded to Odhikar in recognition of "the civil and political rights advocacy they have carried out and expanded in Bangladesh for three decades, despite challenges such as harassment, imprisonment, and surveillance," TFD said in a press release.

It is hoped that the award will "encourage their work and those in the same field" so they "realize their efforts and perseverance have not gone unnoticed," said the TFD, a nonprofit organization funded by Taiwan's government.

Founded in 1994, the group has "deepened democracy and human rights in Bangladesh" through research, advocacy, and training, as well as government oversight efforts, the foundation said.

Odhikar, which means "rights" in Bengali, was founded by human rights activist Adilur Rahman Khan, who currently serves as the group's secretary.

According to its website, Odhikar's principal objectives include raising awareness of human rights and its various abuses, and promoting a vibrant democratic system through election monitoring in Bangladesh.

The Bengali group has issued annual reports since 1996 that document human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, involuntary disappearances and other violations, the TFD said.

The TFD also highlighted Odhikar's role in urging the Bengali government to ratify the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court in 2010, which subsequently led the country to contribute to investigations into the persecution of the Rohingya people.

The Rohingya are an ethnic group residing in Myanmar that have faced violent and deadly persecution by the Burmese military since 2017, causing an exodus of refugees into Bangladesh.

TFD's award ceremony will be held in Taipei on Dec. 10, the foundation said, adding that the award winner would receive a trophy and a grant of US$100,000.

Established in 2003 and currently chaired by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the TFD is dedicated to promoting democracy around the world and strengthening Taiwan's links with other democratic nations.