Global protest against Amar Desh closure
Closure of opposition daily Amar Desh and arrest of its Editor Mahmudur Rahman have drawn global condemnation against the government of Sheikh hasina.Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Thursday condemned Bangladesh authorities for closing an opposition newspaper and said it was concerned about the paper's detained editor.
The Paris-based group said it was "outraged" by Bangladesh's decision to shut the Bengali-language Amar Desh and arrest its acting editor, Mahmudur Rahman, on charges of fraud and violently resisting arrest."The night-time raid by armed police on the daily's headquarters and the use of force to arrest editor Mahmudur Rahman are unworthy of a government that claims to respect the rule of law," the group said in a statement.
"The Awami League government is clearly unable to tolerate criticism from this opposition newspaper," it added. Rahman was the energy adviser to BNP leader Khaleda Zia during her second term as Bangladeshi premier, from 2001 to 2006. He has been a vocal critic of the current Awami League government since it swept to power in December 2008 elections.
Several of the paper's journalists, who attempted to prevent police from arresting Rahman, have also been arrested and charged. Reporters without Borders called for "an independent and transparent investigation" into the charges against the paper, and said the paper should be allowed to continue publishing.
Reporters Without Borders said members of the National Security Intelligence service had taken the publisher, Hashmat Ali, to their headquarters where he was forced to sign blank sheets of papers.
IPI
The Vienna-based ( Austria) International Press Institute(IPI) also expressed concern about the Amar Desh urging Prime Minister Hasina to refrain from using administrative sanctions to limit press freedom.
IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists. We are dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.
We are concerned that the Bangladeshi government is using administrative sanctions to limit the newspaper's ability to criticize its policies," said IPI Director David Dadge. "I urge Prime Minister Sheik Hasina to live up to her promises and ensure that journalists are allowed to distribute information and opinions free of harassment or intimidation."
During an IPI Press Freedom Mission to Bangladesh in December 2008, Sheik Hasina personally gave her commitment to press freedom to an IPI delegation visiting the country. Sheikh Hasina acknowledged that freedom of expression was necessary if journalists were to play a vital role in supporting democracy and secularism, and said that journalists in Bangladesh enjoyed full freedom of expression.
The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) carried similar statement on Wednesday. The CPJ demanded that he Bangladeshi government must fully explain the circumstances that led police to close the Bengali-language, pro-opposition daily Amar Desh based in the capital, Dhaka. . Quoting news reports the CPJ observed that the shutdown appeared to be politically motivated.
"Using 200 police to shut down a newspaper in the middle of the night over alleged publication irregularities is excessive and suggests the government is trying to suppress a critical media outlet. There needs to be a full explanation of the motives behind such a drastic move," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "Amar Desh should be allowed to resume publishing."
Meanwhile, the report on Amar Desh got headlines in the foreign press including BBC, the Guardian in UK, The Hindu in India, and AFP
The Paris-based group said it was "outraged" by Bangladesh's decision to shut the Bengali-language Amar Desh and arrest its acting editor, Mahmudur Rahman, on charges of fraud and violently resisting arrest."The night-time raid by armed police on the daily's headquarters and the use of force to arrest editor Mahmudur Rahman are unworthy of a government that claims to respect the rule of law," the group said in a statement.
"The Awami League government is clearly unable to tolerate criticism from this opposition newspaper," it added. Rahman was the energy adviser to BNP leader Khaleda Zia during her second term as Bangladeshi premier, from 2001 to 2006. He has been a vocal critic of the current Awami League government since it swept to power in December 2008 elections.
Several of the paper's journalists, who attempted to prevent police from arresting Rahman, have also been arrested and charged. Reporters without Borders called for "an independent and transparent investigation" into the charges against the paper, and said the paper should be allowed to continue publishing.
Reporters Without Borders said members of the National Security Intelligence service had taken the publisher, Hashmat Ali, to their headquarters where he was forced to sign blank sheets of papers.
IPI
The Vienna-based ( Austria) International Press Institute(IPI) also expressed concern about the Amar Desh urging Prime Minister Hasina to refrain from using administrative sanctions to limit press freedom.
IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists. We are dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.
We are concerned that the Bangladeshi government is using administrative sanctions to limit the newspaper's ability to criticize its policies," said IPI Director David Dadge. "I urge Prime Minister Sheik Hasina to live up to her promises and ensure that journalists are allowed to distribute information and opinions free of harassment or intimidation."
During an IPI Press Freedom Mission to Bangladesh in December 2008, Sheik Hasina personally gave her commitment to press freedom to an IPI delegation visiting the country. Sheikh Hasina acknowledged that freedom of expression was necessary if journalists were to play a vital role in supporting democracy and secularism, and said that journalists in Bangladesh enjoyed full freedom of expression.
The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) carried similar statement on Wednesday. The CPJ demanded that he Bangladeshi government must fully explain the circumstances that led police to close the Bengali-language, pro-opposition daily Amar Desh based in the capital, Dhaka. . Quoting news reports the CPJ observed that the shutdown appeared to be politically motivated.
"Using 200 police to shut down a newspaper in the middle of the night over alleged publication irregularities is excessive and suggests the government is trying to suppress a critical media outlet. There needs to be a full explanation of the motives behind such a drastic move," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "Amar Desh should be allowed to resume publishing."
Meanwhile, the report on Amar Desh got headlines in the foreign press including BBC, the Guardian in UK, The Hindu in India, and AFP
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2010/06/04/news0321.htm
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