Bangladesh

(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a 20 April 2001 Media Watch press release: Journalist Shot Gunmen shot the Faridpur district correspondent of the Daily Janakantha, Prabir Sikder, in a deadly attack yesterday (20 April) morning, leaving him critically injured. He was first rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital and then shifted to Suhrawardy Hospital […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a 20 April 2001 Media Watch press release: Newspaper office attacked, journalist assaulted The daily PURBOKONE office in the port city of Chittagaong was attacked last night (19 April) and two senior journalists of the paper were assaulted by terrorists. A group of terrorists led by the ward commissioner […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter addressed to Begum Khaleda Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP, opposition party) chairperson, RSF protested the violent acts committed by her party activists against media professionals. At least three reporters have been assaulted, dozens have been threatened and one newspaper office has been burned down. RSF asked the BNP chairperson […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a Media Watch press release: Journalists and photojournalists assaulted At least three reporters and two photojournalists were assaulted by police and opposition party activists in Dhaka during the first 48 hours of a 60-hour general strike. The strike was called by the opposition parties, who are demanding the government’s […]

(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regarding the press freedom situation in the country: Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh Paris, 29 March 2001 Your Excellency, On several occasions you have expressed your attachment and that of your […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 30 November 2000 letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, CPJ stated that it is deeply disturbed by her administration’s multi-pronged attack against the Bengali-language daily newspaper “Inqilab”, which has been accused of treason for publishing a parody of the Bangladesh national anthem. M. Mainuddin, director of the Inqilab Group of Publications, […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – On 27 October 2000, in the afternoon, senior journalist and Secretary-General of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (an organisation for reporters who work in Dhaka) Monwar Islam escaped a kidnapping attempt in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. After finishing his workday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity’s office in Segun Bagicha (2000 yards […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – Followers of State Minister for Social Welfare Mozammel Hossain have carried out their boss’ orders. On the evening of 26 October 2000, less than twenty-four hours after the minister issued his order to attack journalists indiscriminately, a group of terrorists under the leadership of local Union Parishad (a primary unit of local […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – On 25 October 2000, State Minister for Social Welfare Mozammel Hossain issued an order to his party members and local administration stating: “Wherever you will find journalists, break their bones.” The minister gave this order in a closed door meeting with local administration and Awami League (ruling party) leaders at a guest […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 10 October 2000 letter to Home Affairs Minister Mohammad Nasim, RSF expressed its concern over attacks perpetrated by the Lakhipur authorities (in the province of Chittagong, south-eastern part of the country) against journalists who report on or publish articles pertaining to the disappearance of Nurul Islam, a leader of the opposition […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of Home affairs Mohammad Nasim, RSF expressed concern about an attack on Shaharier Kabir, free-lance journalist and columnist. RSF asked the minister to “conduct an investigation to establish the motives for the attack, identify those responsible and punish them”. Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, reminded the minister that three […]

(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 […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Home Affairs Minister Mohammad Nasim, RSF expressed its indignation at the murder of Shamsur Rahman, a journalist with the daily “Janakantha” and contributor to BBC radio. RSF noted the action taken by the minister to find the culprits and urged him to do everything possible to establish “the motives […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – On the evening of 16 July 2000, Shamsur Rahman Kebol, a special correspondent with the daily “Janakantha”, was shot dead in Jessore, a district town on Bangladesh’s south-western border. Local sources said that at 8:00 p.m. (local time), as the journalist was working at his office in the centre of Jessore, two […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Home Affairs Minister Mohammed Nasim, RSF asked that charges against Aminur Rahman Taj, a crime reporter with the newspaper “Ajker Kagoj”, be dropped. RSF also called for cancellation of the arrest warrant against Kazi Shahed Ahmed, the daily’s editor. Without wishing to comments on the facts of the case, […]

(Media Watch/IFEX) – In a single day, three photojournalists were wounded and the home of a journalist was damaged by the police. On 2 May 2000, three photojournalists were hit by the police and one of them was seriously injured. The incident occurred at the Dhaka University campus while the photojournalists were photographing a procession […]