government policies. The government continued to restrict the funding and operations of the human rights organization Odhikar, which in turn continued to report harassment, intimidation, and surveillance by government officials and security forces. On June 5, the NGO Affairs Bureau denied Odhikar’s registration renewal request, prompting outrage from the human rights community. The registration had been pending since 2014. Although the government cited procedural and administrative reasons for blocking the renewal, the bureau also accused Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan of spreading propaganda and publishing misleading information. Domestic and international human rights organizations believed the cancellation was an attempt to curb Odhikar’s active criticism of the government’s human rights record. UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani expressed deep concern, requesting government reconsideration as well as fair access to a judicial appeal process of the decision. In early August, the Prime Minister’s Office held an appeal hearing, but in September the appeal was rejected. In October 2021, separate cases against Odhikar’s secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and director Nasiruddin Elan went to trial regarding alleged violations in 2013 of the Information and Communications Technology Act. As of December, the cases against Khan and Elan remained pending, with conviction punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment. The government required all NGOs, including religious organizations, to register with the Ministry of Social Welfare. Local and international NGOs working on sensitive topics or groups, such as security force abuses, religious matters, human rights, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ persons, Rohingya refugees, or worker rights, faced formal and informal governmental restrictions (see sections 2.b. and 7.a.). Some of these groups claimed intelligence agencies monitored them. The government sometimes restricted international NGOs’ ability to operate through delays in project registration, cease-and-desist letters, and visa refusals. The law restricted foreign funding of NGOs and included what rights groups reported were punitive provisions for NGOs making “derogatory” comments regarding the constitution of the country, its founding history, or constitutional Page 34