On 5 June 1996, a group of about 100 men attacked the local office in Chittagong of the daily “Janakantha” after the newspaper had reported, while the case was still pending, that the nomination of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Amir Kushru had been cancelled by a Division Bench of the High Court on the […]
On 5 June 1996, a group of about 100 men attacked the local
office in Chittagong of the daily “Janakantha” after the
newspaper had reported, while the case was still pending, that
the nomination of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate
Amir Kushru had been cancelled by a Division Bench of the High
Court on the charge of defaulting on a bank loan. Police and
witnesses report that the group, allegedly BNP supporters,
assembled in front of “Janakantha”‘s office and proceeded to
throw bricks, resulting in the damaging of furniture and a sign
board located in the office. The protesters had already
disappeared before the police arrived. On 6 June, a Division
Bench handed down a contempt ruling on the daily’s editor,
printer, publisher and correspondent for reporting on the
judgment of the High Court. On 9 June, “Janakantha” published an
apology.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
serious infringement of press freedom
such problems and that to call for the intervention of the
judiciary is the sole legal and democratic way to stop abuses by
journalists when they fail to respect professional standards
Appeals To
His Excellency Mohammad Habibur Rahman
Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fax: +880 2 811 0115 (Prime Minister’s residence)
+800 2 813 244 (PM’s office)
+800 2 813 243 (PM’s press secretary)
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
