EU concerned about media freedom amid journo detention in Bangladesh

The European Union (EU) and its member states have expressed their concern over any legal repression of journalists which goes against the core value of democracy.

In light of the arrest of Prothom Alo's Savar correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams on Wednesday (29 March), the group called for special attention to criminal proceedings against journalists in any country.

European Union in Bangladesh, the official Twitter handle of the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, expressed their concern by sharing a news link seeking the unconditional release of journalist Samsuzzaman.

The group wrote, "The EU and the EU Member States in Bangladesh note that the arrests of, and criminal proceedings against,  journalists in any country warrant particular scrutiny and attention, in light of the imperative of protecting the freedom of media and of expression as part of democratic values."

Earlier Wednesday midnight, journalist Shamsuzzaman was sued under the same act by Syed Golam Kibria, general secretary of Ward-11 of the Dhaka North city unit Jubo League. That case filed with Tejgaon police station accused Shamsuzzaman of being influenced by vested interests to tarnish the image of the government and the country globally.

The case statement said Shams, for his report, paid a child Tk10 and fabricated his quote.

Within an hour of Golam Kibria filing the case, plainclothes CID men raided the journo's Savar home in the Ambagan area adjacent to Jahangirnagar University and detained him around 4am.

Witnesses said about 16 people in three cars came in front of Shamsuzzaman's house. After he was picked up, they took Shamsuzzaman, Jahangirnagar University Chief Security Officer Sudipta Shaheen and a security guard, to an eatery on the university premises, where they had their Sahri meal.

They went back to Shamsuzzaman's house around 5:30am. One of the three cars had no number plate, witnesses said.