Appeal for release of ethical auditor

The Clean Clothes Campaign, along with other rights organizations worldwide, has urged the Bangladesh government to free Mehedi Hasan, a factory compliance monitor and employee of the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium, who was detained on 24 January. Even his family has been denied access to him.

The military-backed caretaker government in Bangladesh has banned political and trade union activities since the beginning of the year, and Hasan is one of a number of Bangladeshi and foreign labour rights advocates who have been interrogated and detained.

The Clean Clothes Campaign is backing its demand by asking brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh to lobby for Hasan’s release. The garment industry accounts for more than 75 per cent of Bangladesh’s exports.

Ineke Zeldenrust, of the Clean Clothes Campaign, said: ‘The government of Bangladesh risks losing the confidence of consumers, brands and retailers if it persists in persecuting innocent people who monitor labour conditions. We call on the Bangladeshi authorities to desist from harming Mehedi Hasan and to release him immediately.’