Urgent Appeal Regarding the Arrest of Journalist Anis Alamgir and Escalating Threats to Press...
17.12.2025
Ms. Irene Khan
UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations.
Subject: Urgent Appeal Regarding the Arrest of Journalist Anis Alamgir and Escalating Threats to Press Freedom in Bangladesh
Dear Ms. Khan,
On behalf of the...
Letter to António Costa Regarding the UN Working Group on Shahriar Kabir
Ex.mo Senhor
Presidente do Conselho Europeu
António Costa
Rue de la Loi 175
1048 Bruxelles Belgique
Subject: Immediate EU Action Needed: UN Declares Shahriar Kabir’s Detention Arbitrary
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing on behalf of the South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) to urgently draw your attention to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s...
Press Release on Shahriar Kabir
UN Declares Shahriar Kabir’s Detention Arbitrary, Urges Immediate Release and Reparations
Stockholm, 21 November 2025 – The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), in its Opinion No. 40/2025 taken at its 103rd Session (23-25 August), has ruled that the detention of Shahriar Kabir (who is arrested since 17...
Policy Clinic Network Collaboration with SADF
Background:
Minorities in Bangladesh (religious, ethnic, and sexual) are currently going through a challenging time, since the right-wing, religion-based political parties are on the rise. According to the latest report of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, more than 2400 incidents of violence took place against the religious minorities...
SADF NEWSLETTER: VOICES FROM THE MARGINS OF SOUTH ASIA
Image created by SADF’s Custom Chat GPT
INTRODUCTION: THE UNSEEN LIVES AMONG US
‘I’m not saying the people fighting them. I’m saying the civil population. Every single man, woman and child is not safe in Baluchistan. Every mother weeps when their child leaves the front door’
Mehran Marri, Baluchistan’s representative...
COMMENT 273 – Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Peoples is Essential for Fostering Pluralism
Indigenous peoples are one of the ongoing topics of debate in Bangladesh. Since independence, the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been in turmoil due to the failure to include the ethnicity of indigenous peoples in the constitution formed in 1972. Although an agreement was signed in 1997, the main problems...
SADF Podcast 7 – Unlocking Green Investment: FDI in Nepal’s Renewable Energy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa7_G1s40L4&t=388s
In this episode, we explore how foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nepal’s renewable energy sector can help tackle urgent climate challenges. With abundant natural resources, Nepal offers unique opportunities for green investments that drive innovation, job creation, and sustainable development. Join industry expert Prof. Tim Gocher OBE DL, Founder...
SADF Newsletter 6 – Nepal’s Renewable Energy – a Huge, Untapped, Regional Potential
On 26.01.25, SADF held a podcast hosted by Mrs. Sushmita Chaulagain with Mr. Tim Gocher, who runs the Dolma Impact Fund. Called ‘Unlocking Green Investment: FDI in Nepal's Renewable Energy’, the podcast can be seen as an inside scoop on the practicalities of investing in Nepal.
Meant for all investors,...
SADF NEWSLETTER 5 – Call For Action to FREE SHAHRIAR KABIR
In the words of Dr. Ryhan Rashid (from our podcast on 17.01.25): ‘Let me tell you about Shahriar Kabir. Shahriar Kabir has spent his whole life fighting for a secular society, fighting for minority rights, demanding justice for genocide, fending against the rise of religious extremism in Bangladesh. But...
SADF NEWSLETTER 4 – Bangladeshi Democracy at Crossroads
On 28 December 2024, host Rayhan Rashid interviewed SADF Director Paulo Casaca about the current situation in Bangladesh. This was SADF’s third podcast.
The conversation concerned the violent power grab by the so-called ‘Students Against Discrimination movement’ in August 2024. We addressed four crucial issues: (1) the reality of Yunus’...