A number of Bangladesh’s leading rights activists decried the advocacy by British lawyer Toby Cadman – who was engaged by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as its legal advisor in 2011 – to impose sanctions. The admission of Toby Cadman, as reported by Al Jazeera on December 6, 2022, points to yet another plot “to mislead the world on Bangladesh on the human rights issue” through lobbyists, they added. Read: Toby Cadman, who was Jamaat's legal advisor, tells Al Jazeera he was part of team asking US, UK govts for Rab sanction Cadman admitted to Al Jazeera to his efforts to get the UK to impose sanctions against Bangladesh’s law enforcement officials and expressed disappointment that it did not work out. “I filed the request for sanctions and whilst I am not in a position to discuss the substance, I can confirm that I discussed the request with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO),” Cadman was quoted as saying, referring to the UK Foreign Office. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami engaged Toby Cadman as its legal advisor in London in 2011, after the trials of several top Jamaat leaders started – over war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War. Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, commented that after four decades of wait “the current troublesome situation, as regards to Cadman’s requests for sanction, points to a larger conspiracy overseas by Jamaat against the Sheikh Hasina-led government.” Referring to huge public support behind the trials of war criminals, as materialised by the Awami League government, Dasgupta, who leads the country’s largest minority rights platform, said, “Top war criminals, who were brought to justice, belonged to Jamaat and the trial, that offered some solace for millions of victim families who lost their loves ones during the violent war crimes campaign, surely upset that entire cabal. The desperate group hired lobbyists in powerful countries to unsettle the Sheikh Hasina-led government so that these war criminals can evade justice.”  Read: Can a British legal adviser for Jamaat be considered an ‘independent voice’ for human rights? “Since the beginning of the trials, Jamaat waged a wave of conspiracy including hiring lobbyists overseas to run a disinformation campaign to defend these war criminals overseas. Among a series of such campaigns, Cadman’s move for sanction is another pointer,” he added. Dr Mizanur Rahman, Professor of Law at the University of Dhaka and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, said, “Since the war crimes trial started, Jamaat appointed Cadman in London, and he scoured to serve the interests of his client. Thus, began smear campaigns against the war crimes trial. In doing so, this group saw Bangladesh as its enemy and the recent appeal for sanction by such a lobbyist clearly demonstrates that their objective has little to do with rights issues.” Days after Cadman’s admission, Jamaat announced to launch a new movement with demands including ousting the Sheikh Hasina-led government, in sync with Bangladesh Nationalist party.