Picture shows Shyamal Datta, Muzammil Babu, Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed.
In an impassioned appeal to the CJA, Shushama Shashi, daughter of the detained Bangladeshi journalist Shyamal Dutta, has called for help from all international media organisations and human rights bodies to campaign for the release of detained journalists in the country.
It’s estimated that charges have been laid against well over 100 journalists, with many of those detained in prison, in the political crisis following the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024.
Media and civil rights campaigners at home and abroad have called on the interim administration of Mohammad Yunus to protect journalists, who they say face bogus charges, meant to intimidate.
Ms Shashi said a “massive injustice” was being done to journalists in Bangladesh, including her father, the editor of the Bhorer Kagoj newspaper and a CJA vice president who has been held since his arrest last September. Other prominent journalists picked up around the same time were the chief editor of Ekattor TV, Muzammil Babu, and the prominent husband and wife team Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed, both of the Ekattor TV channel, who were held at the airport in Dhaka as they were about to leave for Paris.
“There are countless other journalists who have been unlawfully imprisoned on baseless grounds of murder, with no trial dates being announced. Moreover, any legal efforts being made to secure bail are being unjustly denied,” she said.
“Those imprisoned are forced to sleep on the floor, not provided with medical assistance when needed or food according to their health requirements. My mother had to navigate through multiple obstacles for a period of two months only to be able to pass the CPAP machine to my father in jail who suffers from sleep apnea, by which time he was hospitalised in jail twice. Mojammel Babu, who is a cancer patient, has not been allowed a single treatment for his disease.
“When my father got arrested, we had faith in the High Court of Bangladesh. We had proceeded with the murder case that was filed against my father through lower courts, with hopes that ultimately, we will get justice in the High Court. It was only on the 5th of January that my mother and I decided that we will take Dad’s case to the High Court. Surprisingly, on the 6th of January, my father, along with seven other journalists were slapped with an attempted murder case.
“Apparently, these journalists, along with 82 others, attempted to murder a single person in police custody back in 2013. My father now has 2 cases – the murder case he was arrested on and this latest attempted murder case.
“Journalists right now in Bangladesh are in fear of losing their jobs, being arrested or worse, being a victim of mob justice. This has made it extremely perilous for local press organisations to advocate for their own colleagues who are in jail, and hundreds of others on whom random murder and attempt to murder cases have been brought.
“I have exhausted myself to the point of physical illness while advocating for my father. I have decided to deal with his latest attempt to murder case, but I will need all of your help again. Any kind of verbal and or written advocacy will help me and the families of the journalists in prison tremendously. We genuinely feel as though we are attempting to move mountains.”
Bangladesh signed up to Media Freedom
In London, a protest gathering was held by British Bangladeshi journalists demanding the release of detained journalists, pictured. Addressing the demonstration, CJA executive committee member Richard Bourne recalled that recently, at the Commonwealth heads of government conference, countries including Bangladesh, approved a statement on media freedom and good governance. Despite this, incidents of torture and harassment of journalists continued in that country.
Bangladesh’s Editors’ Council has condemned the action against journalists, saying it undermines the interim government’s commitment to protect an independent media.
The detentions come against a background of more violence directed at media outlets in Bangladesh – several journalists have been targetted and killed in recent months.
In international reaction, the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm at the “apparently baseless criminal cases lodged against Bangladeshi journalists in retaliation for their work, which is seen as supportive of the recently ousted government”. A spokesman called on the government to safeguard the ability of all journalists to report without fear of reprisal.
The French-based RSF deplored recent developments in a message to Mohammad Yunus, saying the government must keep its promise to protect journalists, in line with its duty to ensure their right to a fair trial. It said it must ensure that all journalists can produce information,
work safely and with complete independence, without fear of legal prosecution.
Media professionals must be protected and not bear the brunt of the public’s anger towards the former government. They must not become scapegoats for the reprehensible practices of the former regime … RSF
The International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, said the Bangladeshi media must be free to report without fear of retaliation, and a plurality of voices must be encouraged through the Interim Government’s time in power.
The Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum, an affiliate of the IFJ, said the actions by the authorities meant that journalists were being criminalised and this could not be allowed to continue.
The Women Press Freedom movement called for complete transparency regarding accusations against journalists. “It is crucial for Bangladeshi authorities to ensure an impartial investigation, as it is essential in the provision of justice and upholding the values of press freedom,” it said.
The Observatory of Killed Journalists, published by UNESCO, reports that five journalists lost their lives in Bangladesh last year up until August 4, and that 33 have been killed in the last 30 years. And the World Press Freedom Index reports a significant drop in the country’s standing – it now ranks 165th out of 180 countries surveyed.
