(RSF/IFEX) – RSF and the Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) have expressed their grave concern following an assassination attempt on journalist Belal Chowdhury and death threats against four other reporters by Islamic fundamentalists in Faridpur, west of the capital, Dhaka. “Fundamentalists seem to hold sway in the city and journalists who try […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF and the Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) have expressed their grave concern following an assassination attempt on journalist Belal Chowdhury and death threats against four other reporters by Islamic fundamentalists in Faridpur, west of the capital, Dhaka.
“Fundamentalists seem to hold sway in the city and journalists who try to openly defend the right to free expression are hounded and attacked without any reaction from the authorities,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard and BCDJC President Nayeemul Islam Khan in a letter to Interior Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury.
The organisations called on the minister to take all necessary steps to end the violence and threats by fundamentalists against journalists. The organisations also urged police to move quickly to arrest those involved in the assassination attempt on Belal Chowdhury. Representatives from both organisations, along with other journalist groups, will travel to Faridpur on 30 and 31 October 2002 on an assessment and solidarity mission.
Chowdhury, a reporter from the local newspaper “Dainik Thikana”, was attacked and beaten unconscious in a Faridpur market on 24 August by five people armed with machetes and axes. He was taken to the city hospital with 15 serious wounds and was then transferred to a hospital in Dhaka, where he remains in serious condition.
His brother has filed a complaint with Faridpur police, accusing three local criminals of organising the attack. Police have not made any arrests so far.
The attack on Chowdhury followed death threats by the Tuhidi Janata Islamic fundamentalist group against journalists who support a local theatre group that is being harassed by fundamentalists and local authorities.
The Islamic militants persuaded local officials to ban the performance of the play “Khatha Krishnakhali” on grounds of blasphemy. The play’s author and producer were arrested after street demonstrations by fundamentalists. The actors have gone into hiding for fear of also being detained. People convicted of “blasphemy” risk the death sentence.
On 23 August, fundamentalists began targeting journalists from the national dailies “Janakantha”, “Bhorer Kagoj”, “Prothom Alo” and “Ajker Kagoj”, who had reported on these events and voiced their support for the theatre group. In his newspaper, Chowdhury had criticised the call by the militants’ leaders for members of the theatre group and their journalist supporters to be hanged.
Prabir Shikder, “Janakantha”‘s correspondent in Faridpur, has filed a complaint on behalf of the threatened journalists. Shikder himself escaped an assassination attempt in the centre of Faridpur in April 2001, but had to have his right leg amputated because of a bullet wound (see IFEX alerts of 25 and 24 April 2001). He was attacked a few days after writing about businessman Musa-bin-Shamsher’s alleged “war criminal” past. Police did not complete their investigation of the attack and no one was brought to trial.
