The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) urges Prime Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Sheikh Hasina to do everything in her power to ensure that a full and impartial investigation into the reported attack is being carried out, with a view to bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards, as well as to ensure the safety of lawyer Shahanur Islam and his family members, since they believe that the continuous harassment against Mr. Shahanur Islam is based solely on his legitimate activities as a human rights lawyer.
The CCBE also express its serious concern over the prosecution and continuous harassment of lawyer Shahanur Islam as well as draw attention to the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, in particular Principles 16, 17 and 18 on Guarantees for the functioning of lawyers and Principle 23 on Freedom of expression and association.