(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 17 July 2000 letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, CPJ condemned the 16 July assassination of veteran journalist Shamsur Rahman, special correspondent of the Bengali-language national daily “Janakantha”, and urged her government to ensure that the perpetrators of this terrible crime are brought to justice. On 16 July at around 8:20 […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 17 July 2000 letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, CPJ condemned the 16 July assassination of veteran journalist Shamsur Rahman, special correspondent of the Bengali-language national daily “Janakantha”, and urged her government to ensure that the perpetrators of this terrible crime are brought to justice.
On 16 July at around 8:20 p.m. (local time), two armed men entered Rahman’s office on Jail Road in central Jessore and shot him at point-blank range, firing one bullet through his forehead and another through his chest, according to local news reports. Rahman, 43, had been working alone in his office when his assailants arrived. The gunmen reportedly fled the scene immediately.
Sajed Rahman Bakul, a colleague of Rahman’s at “Janakantha”, had left the office minutes before the gunmen arrived. He heard the shots from the street and rushed back with several neighbors. Rahman was pronounced dead on arrival at Jessore General Hospital.
Rahman regularly reported on the activities of criminal gangs and armed political groups in and around Jessore. Because of its location close to the Indian border with southwestern Bangladesh, Jessore is a center for smuggling operations. Sources at “Janakantha” told CPJ that Rahman had periodically received death threats in retaliation for his reporting.
“Rahman was known for his impartiality and for his blunt dismissal of many of the political groups as being little more than criminal gangs”, said a 16 July report by the BBC. Rahman had been a frequent contributor to the BBC’s Bengali-language service.
CPJ is deeply saddened by Rahman’s murder. The organisation is encouraged by Home Minister Mohammed Nasim’s visit to Jessore on 17 July and hopes that his personal attention to this case will help guarantee a prompt and thorough investigation into Rahman’s murder.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– calling for a prompt and thorough investigation into Rahman’s murder
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister, People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fax: +88 02 811 3244
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
