(RSF/IFEX) – On 17 March 2003, RSF urged Interior Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury to rescind the arrest warrant issued for Shawkat Milton, the correspondent for the daily “Janakantha” in the southern city of Barisal. The journalist was forced to go into hiding on 12 March in order to avoid arrest. “This is not the first […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 17 March 2003, RSF urged Interior Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury to rescind the arrest warrant issued for Shawkat Milton, the correspondent for the daily “Janakantha” in the southern city of Barisal. The journalist was forced to go into hiding on 12 March in order to avoid arrest.
“This is not the first time that this courageous journalist had been the target of harassment by the authorities and politicians,” RSF noted. Over the past two years, he was arrested once and physically attacked or threatened at least five times.
Milton left his home on 12 March after learning that local police had received a warrant for his arrest from the authorities in Dhaka. He told RSF that he went into hiding for fear that he would be arrested. Milton is facing unspecified charges.
“Janakantha” recently carried several reports by Milton about the mayoral elections in Barisal, scheduled for the week of 17 March. The candidates include Mujibar Rahman Sarwar, a parliamentary leader of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and close associate of the home affairs minister. One of Milton’s reports raised question about the methods employed by Sarwar during the campaign. These reports angered Sarwar and other local BNP leaders, who reacted by calling for Milton’s arrest.
On 7 September 2002, Milton was attacked by BNP youth activists in Barisal. He suffered serious injuries to both his arms and was hospitalised in Dhaka.
