Bangladesh

Three unidentified men attacked Asif Mohiuddin, a Bangladeshi blogger who identifies as an atheist and frequently criticised religion on his blog.

Sedition charges were leveled against the editor of the pro-opposition daily Amar Desh and the paper’s publisher, after the publication of news stories based on leaked transcripts of conversations between a lawyer and the lead judge of Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal.

The International Federation of Journalists, in collaboration with partners and affiliates, has released situation reports on the state of media freedom in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and on the challenges facing journalists in areas of India affected by a long-running Maoist insurgency.

Following the arrest of two Bangladeshi photographers who had been covering a nationwide opposition protest, fellow journalists obtained their release by staging a sit-in outside the police station where they were being held.

Reporters Without Borders deplores the lack of progress in the investigation into the February murders of Bangladeshi TV journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi and the fact that the special crime unit has recently concentrated on interrogating their six-year-old son.

In its submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review, ARTICLE 19 observes that Bangladesh has mostly failed to comply with the recommendations they accepted during its first UPR advance protections for the right to freedom of expression and information in the country.

The arrest of Mutafizur Rahman Sumon was prompted by his campaign against impunity for crimes against media workers.

Jamal Uddin was allegedly targeted for reporting on a local drug-smuggling syndicate.

The Awami League has adopted a fifteenth amendment to the Constitution, which states that criticising the Constitution now comes with a charge of sedition.

Unidentified assailants, reportedly local goons, stabbed bdnews24.com sub-editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat and correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom with sharp weapons.

Unidentified assailants hacked the right arm of journalist Fazlur Rahman, allegedly for reporting on an obscene dance performance on a college campus.

Police baton charged a protest organised by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dhaka, injuring several participants and at least five journalists.

For Immediate Release Bangladesh: Alarming Rise in ‘Disappearances’ Government Needs to Account for Missing Opposition Figures (New York, April 27, 2012) – The Bangladesh government should immediately order an independent and impartial investigation into the growing number of cases where opposition members and political activists have vanished without trace, Human Rights Watch said today. The […]

Golam Sarwar was threatened after reporting on negotiations between the government and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party over the case of a missing politician.

For Immediate Release Bangladesh: Investigate Killing of Labor Activist Union Organizer Aminul Islam’s Body Bore Signs of Torture (New York, April 12, 2012) –¬ The Bangladesh authorities should immediately and impartially investigate the killing of the labor rights activist Aminul Islam, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed. […]

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has threatened to shut down the ETV commercial satellite station for allegedly broadcasting illegally.