Leading press freedom and human rights organisations have urged Bangladesh to end what they describe as the persecution of journalists and to drop cases linked to their professional work. …reports Asian Lite News Desk
Several leading press freedom and human rights organisations have called on the Bangladesh government to end what they describe as the persecution of journalists, urging authorities not to criminally prosecute media professionals Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu, particularly on charges of crimes against humanity, for carrying out their journalistic work.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the organisations also expressed concern over the continued pre-trial detention of Rupa, Babu and two other journalists, Shakil Ahmed and Shyamal Dutta, in separate cases linked to the 2024 mass protests that led to the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.
The statement follows proceedings before Bangladesh’s International Crime Tribunal, which on May 14 showed Rupa and Babu, along with former minister Dipu Moni, as arrested in a case connected to alleged crimes against humanity during the 2013 crackdown on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka.
According to the organisations, lawyers representing Rupa and Babu have not been provided with any evidence or a chargesheet since the proceedings began.
They said prosecutors had indicated that the case was based on broadcast coverage of the 2013 events, including a current affairs programme presented by Rupa that allegedly “spread misleading information” about casualty figures and contributed to “crimes against humanity”.
“A fundamental aspect of the right to freedom of expression is the protection of journalistic work, including reporting and editorial decisions on matters of significant public interest, especially where events are politically contested or disputed. Decisions about how to cover a contested political incident should not be criminalised, let alone prosecuted as crimes against humanity,” the statement said.
“The suggestion that such conduct could amount to an international crime is wrong as a matter of law. The decision to initiate proceedings without a legal foundation creates a chilling effect on journalists and media outlets in Bangladesh,” it added.
The organisations also highlighted the cases involving Rupa, her husband and fellow Ekattor TV journalist Shakil Ahmed, and Shyamal Dutta, editor of the newspaper Bhorer Kagoj. They noted that all four have remained in pre-trial detention since August and September 2024 in connection with multiple murder cases arising from deaths during the July-August 2024 demonstrations.
According to the statement, no chargesheets have been served in any of those cases and authorities have not explained how journalists’ reporting on the protests could amount to the crime of murder.
“No charge sheet has been served in any of those cases and there has been no explanation as to how journalists’ reporting on the uprising could be characterised as the crime of murder. These are among thousands of murder cases filed against perceived supporters of the former government, many of which are based on no known evidence,” the organisations stated.
The signatories urged the Bangladesh government to immediately release journalists who are detained solely for peacefully exercising their human rights and carrying out their reporting.
They also called on the authorities to drop what they described as “politically motivated charges” relating to journalists’ professional activities and to end the practice of filing multiple cases and mass First Information Reports (FIRs) against journalists and others across the country.
The joint appeal adds to growing international scrutiny of Bangladesh’s treatment of media professionals following the political upheaval of 2024, with press freedom organisations warning that the use of criminal proceedings against journalists could have a wider impact on independent reporting and freedom of expression in the country.
