Washington, April 28 A leading international press freedom group called on the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government to fulfil its election pledge by withdrawing what it described as “politically motivated cases” against four senior journalists arrested during the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and ensuring their release.
In a letter addressed to Bangladesh’s Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Md Asaduzzaman, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the government to release the journalists, including Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, Mozammel Haq Babu, and Shyamal Dutta, who have been detained for more than 18 months on murder charges.
It said no credible evidence has been presented, and no charge sheet has been filed against them.
According to the CPJ, the arrests under the previous interim government appeared to be carried out in retaliation for their perceived political affiliations.
Nearly 600 days after the arrests, it said the police have failed to file charge sheets substantiating the charges against the journalists.
“All four journalists have been held for more than 18 months, accused of murder, for which, based on our documentation, testimony from their families, and review by international counsel, no credible evidence has been presented, and no charge sheet has been served. The pattern of these cases appears closely tied to the journalists' reporting and perceived political affiliations — the very kind of practice your government has publicly signalled an intention to move beyond,” read the letter.
The CPJ expressed grave concern over the humanitarian situation of the detained journalists, warning that their continued imprisonment without adequate medical care poses a serious risk to their health and safety.
“Rupa was held for two weeks in November 2024 in a ‘condemnation cell’ reserved for death-row inmates. Dutta suffered a stroke within days of his detention on September 16, 2024, about which his family was not immediately informed. He has a medical history of cardiac problems and severe sleep apnoea that has not been assessed in custody,” the letter mentioned.
“Babu, who was arrested on the same day in September, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent major invasive surgery in late 2023. However, he has not received the required follow-up care, placing him at serious risk of undetected cancer recurrence,” it added.
The CPJ urged the government to consider dropping the charges against the four journalists and allow them to return to their families.
Pending that decision, it expressed hope that the Bangladeshi Ministry, together with the Ministry of Home Affairs, would ensure they receive the required medical care without further delay.
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