A Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court on Thursday set Sunday to give its decision on the bail plea of journalist Rozina Islam in a case lodged with Shahbagh police station by a health ministry official on May 17.
Metropolitan magistrate Baki Billah, on completion of the hearing, announced that he would give the decision within shortest possible time after reviewing all the case documents. The magistrate later announced that he would give the decision on Sundnay.
The bail petition in the case was heard in the court amid protests denouncing keeping Rozina in confinement at the secretariat for over five hours, lodging ‘fabricate’ case under the Penal Code and the colonial Official Secrets Act 1923 against her on false allegation and demanding her immediate release.
On Thursday, Journalists and different political parties staged demonstration in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country staged demonstration to press home the demands.
In Dhaka, a faction of Dhaka Union of Journalists, Jatya Party, Left Democratic Alliance, Ganatantri Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal – Jasod held separate demonstrations demanding upholding freedom of press and immediate release of Rozina.
In Narsingdi, journalists in the district town staged demonstration in front of Narsingdi Press Club to press home the demands.
Since her arrest, journalists across the country took to the streets to press home the demands while academics, rights groups and professional bodies as well as the United Nations and international free press campaigners condemned the harassment during her professional duties at the secretariat.
In the case the health ministry official alleged that Rozina lifted secret documents related to Covid vaccine procurement with two vaccine-producing countries and took photographs of the documents.
She was produced before a court by the Shahbagh police on May 18 and the court sent her to jail rejecting a police plea seeking her 5-day remand.
Meanwhile, the case was transferred to the detective branch of police on Wednesday.
