(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a 5 May 2001 Media Watch press release: While media around the world, including in Bangladesh, observed World Press Freedom Day, a journalist in Feni (a district town of Bangladesh) was attacked by a local politician’s henchmen, who broke one of his arms. A few weeks ago, Shaidul Alam […]
(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a 5 May 2001 Media Watch press release:
While media around the world, including in Bangladesh, observed World Press Freedom Day, a journalist in Feni (a district town of Bangladesh) was attacked by a local politician’s henchmen, who broke one of his arms.
A few weeks ago, Shaidul Alam Imran, aged 25, correspondent for the daily Manavjamin, published in Dhaka, and editor of the local daily OTO-EB, wrote an article in which he claimed that local ruling party MP Joynal Hazari’s supporters and workers collect money in Feni in the name of his newspaper Hazarika. To take revenge, the evening of 3 May, Hazari’s henchmen attacked Imran with guns and other weapons. They broke his left arm in the attack. Imran ran to a nearby house and managed to escape. His attackers fired three rounds of bullets at him but failed to kill him. Then the armed group rushed to the house where the journalist sought refuge and ransacked the home. Imran was admitted to a local hospital. This same group attacked journalist Tipu Sultan several months ago. Sultan is currently undergoing treatment, through the help of the local and international community.
In a second incident, terrorists in the Narshingdi district threatened to blow up a local press club. On 3 May, Narshingdi Press Club President Mostafa Kamal Sarker and office secretary Benajir Ahmed received the threat by telephone at around 11:00 a.m. The caller was annoyed with journalists in the district. He expressed displeasure with recent election reporting in the district’s newspapers. It is believed that an influential political leader who might be running in the upcoming election is behind the threat.
In a separate incident, on 4 May, members of a local terrorist group attacked a newspaper vendor in the Kanchan area of Rupgonj Upazialla, very close to the capital, Dhaka. The terrorists ordered vendor Osman Goni, aged 40, not to distribute the weekly OPRADH BARTA in the area, as a detailed report on the law and order situation in the area was published in that issue. When Goni disobeyed them, local terrorist Parimal Das and his associates assaulted him and snatched all his money from his pocket. The editor of the paper filed a case with the local police station.
Finally, police announced a 100,000 taka (approx. US$2,000) reward for catching ruling party ward commissioner Mamun in Chittagong. A terrorist group led by Mamun attacked the office of the daily Purbokne last month and assaulted two senior journalists. A case was filed against him under the Public Safety Act, PSA. Mamun fled and police have failed to apprehend him even though the prime minister and the home minister have ordered his arrest.
