Bangladesh on Sunday released two leading human rights activists on bail, after they challenged their two-year sentences that critics say are part of a crackdown ahead of elections.

Adilur Rahman Khan, 63, and Nasiruddin Elan, 57, have led the Odhikar organisation for decades, working to document thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances of opposition activists, and police brutalities.

Last month, a court sentenced the pair to two years in prison over a fact-finding report they compiled 10 years ago on extrajudicial killings.

Elan said he and Khan were freed from Dhaka Central Jail on Sunday evening after the high court granted them bail pending an appeal hearing.

“We are fine. I have just arrived at my home,” Elan told AFP, after spending a month in prison.

Several foreign governments have expressed concern over the political climate in Bangladesh ahead of general elections due before the end of January.

The ruling party dominates the Bangladeshi legislature and runs it as a virtual rubber stamp.

Odhikar has been documenting human rights violations in Bangladesh since 1994. It has worked closely with United Nations bodies and global human rights groups.

Last month, the UN voiced alarm at what it said was Bangladesh’s use of legal proceedings to intimidate and harass rights advocates and civil society leaders.

Both men “have faced harassment and intimidation”, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in early September.

Dhaka reacted angrily to the UN comments, calling them a “flagrant disrespect” of the country’s justice system.

Last year, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cancelled Odhikar’s operating licence after accusing it of tarnishing Bangladesh’s image, prompting a chorus of condemnation from rights advocates.

A group of 72 international rights groups had earlier condemned the sentencing and demanded the men be released.

Dharamshala:

The Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize and said the award was also in recognition of the vital role women play in people’s lives. Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy and against the death penalty.

In a letter to her on Saturday, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, “Today, the values of democracy, transparency, respect for human rights, and equality are increasingly recognised on every side as universal values, which can only benefit us all.”

“I have met and held discussions with previous Nobel laureates, including your sometime colleague, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi. I admire their efforts to overcome discrimination against women and improve society in a peaceful way. I believe that the award of this Nobel Peace Prize is also in recognition of the vital role women play in the lives of us all from the very day we are born,” the Dalai Lama wrote.

He said there is a growing desire for change in the world, a change that will see conflicts resolved through dialogue and non-violence.

“The foundation of such change will be kindness, compassion and human responsibility. I believe that this goal can be achieved through education based on a deeper appreciation of the oneness of humanity. Because we are so interconnected, this is a question of the well-being of us all,” he wrote.