End selective harassment of Bangladesh journalists: India-based media orgs write to Yunus

Local and foreign journalists working in India have called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to end selective harassment of Bangladeshi journalists.

India-based Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC), the Press Club of India (PCI), the Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) and the Press Association (PA) made the call in a letter sent to Prof Yunus today (13 September).

The organisations wrote to Yunus that they "wish to bring to your kind and urgent attention our collective anguish and concern over the selective harassment of Bangladeshi journalists, and the undue restrictions on them".

The organisations condemned the filing of cases against many journos over violence during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

"Implicating as many as 52 respected media personnel in murder cases, imprisoning some of them and filing unsustainable charges against many others in the International Crimes Tribunal are blatant violations of the freedom of expression and thoughts," they wrote.

"We hope you share with us the belief that a free press should be the pride of Bangladesh. Eliminating dissent and suppressing press freedom tarnish the image of not only your administration but also of Bangladesh as a country," they also wrote.

The India-based journos called on the chief adviser to be vigilant against all those who are "enemies of press freedom" and act against them if they harass journalists.

"We request you, as a globally respected Nobel Peace laureate, to personally intervene and ensure the safety and security of journalists in carrying out their jobs without fear and favour," they said.

"Kindly order the release forthwith of journalists who have been arrested on frivolous charges," the organisations called on Yunus.

The letter was signed by heads of the four organisations - FCC President S Venkat Narayan, PCI President Gautam Lahiri, IWPC President Parul Sharma, PA President Chhaya Kant Nayak.