Commonwealth Journalists Condemn Bangladesh Tribunal's Jail Order for 3 Editors

Global press freedom group condemns Bangladesh ICT's action against three senior journalists

London, Aug 25

The three Bangladeshi journalists include Bhorer Kagoj's editor Shyamal Dutta, Ekattor TV Managing Director and editor-in-chief Mozammel Babu, and its chief correspondent Farzana Rupa.

All three, who were already in custody, were reportedly produced before the tribunal on Monday by jail authorities and sent to jail after being shown arrested in the case, according to local media reports.

Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim alleged that provocative statements made by the accused at a July 14, 2024 press conference led to then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's "Razakar" remarks, which subsequently sparked protests, Bangladesh's leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

Criticising the development, the CJA said, "The use of an International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute journalists for their professional conduct sets an extremely disturbing precedent for press freedom in Bangladesh. Journalists must be held accountable for genuine criminal acts where credible evidence exists, but they cannot be criminalised simply for asking questions, reporting events or being perceived as politically sympathetic to one side or another."

The group also voiced concern over the prolonged detention and prosecution of the journalists in Bangladesh. It stated that Dutta, Babu and Rupa have already spent an extended period in custody, despite serious questions over the evidence against them and reports that charge sheets substantiating the original allegations had not been filed within the prescribed legal framework.

Meanwhile, raising alarm over the humanitarian circumstances surrounding their detention, the CJA said, "Dutta has documented cardiac and severe sleep apnoea conditions requiring medical assessment and treatment. Babu underwent major surgery for prostate cancer in late 2023 and reportedly requires continuing medical care. These circumstances make the continued incarceration of the three journalists all the more troubling."

The CJA called on the government of Bangladesh and the judicial authorities to ensure that journalism is not treated as a criminal activity and that journalists are not punished for performing their professional responsibilities.

It further urged the authorities to review the proceedings against Dutta, Babu and Rupa with utmost urgency, ensure due process and credible evidentiary standards, and release them unless there is clear and demonstrable evidence of an independently established criminal offence.

"The independence of the media is not a privilege granted by governments. It is an essential condition of a democratic society," the CJA noted.

— IANS