(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 20 March 2003 letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, CPJ expressed its deep concern about the safety of Shawkat Milton, a reporter for the Bengali-language national daily “Janakantha” who went into hiding on 14 March after learning that police were about to arrest him. The journalist had been covering campaign abuses […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 20 March 2003 letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, CPJ expressed its deep concern about the safety of Shawkat Milton, a reporter for the Bengali-language national daily “Janakantha” who went into hiding on 14 March after learning that police were about to arrest him. The journalist had been covering campaign abuses committed by officials in the run-up to the local elections in Barisal, a city in southern Bangladesh, on 20 March.
In the weeks before the elections, the government ordered the army into Barisal following clashes between armed supporters of rival political candidates. Some candidates also reportedly gave money in exchange for votes.
Milton, a Barisal-based correspondent and outspoken press freedom activist, has been targeted several times for his political reporting. In 2002, activists associated with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) filed a series of criminal complaints accusing him of offenses ranging from criminal defamation to possession of explosives. Local journalists say that these complaints are part of a harassment campaign by officials angered by his reporting.
Milton has also been physically assaulted. According to Janakantha, in January 2002, Kabir Uddin Hannu, a municipal commissioner in Barisal and the district secretary of the Jatiya Party, assaulted Milton in public, on a city street. Though Hannu was arrested due to pressure from local journalists, he was released on bail and has not been prosecuted for the attack.
In September, Milton was seriously injured by BNP activists who assaulted him and other journalists during a public meeting held in Barisal to protest the government’s closure of the private broadcaster Ekushey Television. When the journalists attempted to file a case against their assailants, they discovered that police had already filed two false cases against them in response to complaints lodged by BNP activists. Fearing arrest or further physical reprisals, Milton went into hiding for several months. He resumed reporting in Barisal in late November.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– asking her government to ensure that Milton is not harassed or persecuted for his reporting
– calling on her, as the head of the government and leader of the BNP, to guarantee that government officials and party activists do not interfere with the right of all journalists to work freely, without fear of reprisal
Appeals To
Her Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister, People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fax: +88 02 811 3244Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
