CPJ alarmed by arrest, filing of baseless cases against journalists seen supportive of Hasina

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed deep concerns over journalists targeted with arrest, criminal cases in Bangladesh.

"The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the baseless criminal charges brought against Bangladeshi journalists in apparent retaliation for their reporting, which has been perceived as supportive of the former government," said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ Asia Program Coordinator said in a report published on the CPJ website yesterday (19 September).

"The interim government must ensure that the rights of these journalists are upheld, including a fair trial, while also protecting the press from intimidation and retaliation."

Sheikh Hasina fled to India on 5 August after mass protests led to the end of her 15-year rule. Since then, dozens of journalists whose work was seen as favourable to her government have been targeted in various criminal investigations, CPJ says.

On 31 August, a court in Dhaka remanded Farzana Rupa, a former senior correspondent at Ekattor TV, and her husband, Shakil Ahmed, who was the former head of news at the same pro-Awami League channel. Both were taken into custody following nine days of police detention, according to a confidential source familiar with the case, who requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal.

Rupa and Ahmed, dismissed from their roles at Ekattor TV on August 8, were arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 21. Their phones and passports were confiscated, and both are reportedly being held on charges related to incitement of murder during the mass protests.

On 16 September, authorities detained two more Ekattor TV journalists, Mozammel Babu, managing director and editor-in-chief, and Mahbubur Rahman, a senior reporter. They were arrested alongside Shyamal Dutta, editor of the Bhorer Kagoj newspaper, and their driver, while allegedly attempting to cross into India illegally from northern Bangladesh's Mymensingh district.

The following day, a Dhaka court placed Babu and Dutta in seven-day police remand in connection with two separate murder cases. Rahman and the driver were later released, the source said.

All four journalists are among more than two dozen media professionals named in an August complaint lodged with Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal. They face allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide related to their involvement in the protests.

In total, 28 journalists are under investigation in connection with the unrest. On September 4, a court in Chattogram ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate a complaint filed by a teacher against these journalists and 81 other individuals.

The charges, reviewed by CPJ, include promoting enmity between classes, causing grievous harm, and kidnapping, as well as violations of the Explosive Substances Act of 1908 — which carries potential penalties of life imprisonment or death. The complaint also accuses several media outlets, including Ekattor TV, Somoy TV, and the Dhaka Tribune, of failing to provide adequate coverage of the protests.

Enamul Haque Sagor, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh police, has not responded to CPJ's requests for comment regarding these recent arrests and investigations.