(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a Media Watch press release: Bangladeshi journalists celebrated the New Year faced with threats that they would be killed, abducted or attacked because of their profession 1. Kamal Uddin, Chagalnaiya correspondent for the daily Ittefaq, escaped a kidnapping attempt and took shelter at the local police station. A 1 […]
(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a Media Watch press release:
Bangladeshi journalists celebrated the New Year faced with threats that they would be killed, abducted or attacked because of their profession
1. Kamal Uddin, Chagalnaiya correspondent for the daily Ittefaq, escaped a kidnapping attempt and took shelter at the local police station. A 1 January 2002 report published in the daily Ittefaq had noted that a young man tried to get extra privileges by using the name of a local member of parliament. The young man was reported to have said, “I’m the brother of the local MP, who here will try to obstruct me?”
That same day, at around 3:00 p.m., a group of 5 to 7 terrorists, under the leadership of local Chatra dal (student wing of the ruling party) leader Abdul Hai Munna, tried to kidnap Kamal from the Chagalnaiya Bazaar. Kamal finally escaped and took shelter at the local police station. In addition, terrorists threatened members of his family.
2. Terrorists belonging to JUBO DAL (youth wing of the ruling party) attacked Humayun Kabir, Muladi correspondent for the daily Ittefaq. The journalist suffered a broken bone in his chest and was admitted to Barisal Sher-Bangla Medical college hospital in critical condition. On 27 December 2001, a report was published in the daily Jugantor about the gambling in the Muladi area, Barisal district. The terrorists involved in the gambling suspected that the Ittefaq correspondent was behind the report. On 29 December 2001, under the leadership of Sabuj Khan, Shah Alam and Munir Khan, a group of terrorists belonging to JUBO DAL attacked Humayun Kabir. Humayun was threatened and warned against filing a case against the assailants with the local police station.
3. On 1 January 2002, Shakir Ahmed, a senior reporter for the daily Ittefaq, received death threats via a telephone call. The unidentified caller stated that Shakir had recently written several items on the irregularities in bus services in the city. A general diary was filed with the Demra police station.
4. In a separate incident, Deep Azad, the Khulna (southern divisional town) bureau chief of the daily Jugantor, received death threats by letter and phone from an unidentified source.
On 24 December 2001, Jugantor published a report alleging that numerous individuals in Khulna are under threat because of the silent activities of the extortionists belonging to the ruling party. After this news was published, the reporter was warned in a telephone call to be ready to face death. He also received letters containing similar threats and was warned against writing any report along these lines in the future. In the letter, Deep Azad was told that three decisions had been taken against him: he will be choked to death wherever he is found in the city; he will be kidnapped and his throat will be cut, and finally his office will be blown up. The terrorists asked the journalist to cease writing compromising articles.
A general diary on the case was filed with the local police station.
