The United Kingdom-based rights group ARTICLE 19 has recorded 62 incidents of physical assault on journalists across Bangladesh in first five months of this year and said that a total of 118 journalists were injured in these incidents.
At least three journalists were also killed in the current year, according to a press statement shared by ARTICLE 19 on Sunday.
The rights organisation pointed out that there were continued violence against journalists across the country, including the cases and arrests of journalists under the Digital Security Act and the recent brutal killings of three media workers.
ARTICLE 19 mentioned that the submission of an investigation report in the case of journalist couple Sagar-Runi murder was deferred for 89th time so far.
The violation of the rights of journalists and crimes against journalists indicate the persisting culture of impunity and increasingly fragile state of freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
ARTICLE 19 South Asia regional director Faruq Faisel, referring to the DSA cases, said, ‘Admitting the fact that the law has been misused and abused, several responsible ministers in the recent past have promised to reform the law with an assurance not to arrest journalists immediately sued under the law. However, the reality is different; cases and arrests under this law are rampant,’ Faruq said.
ARTICLE 19 recorded that 10 cases were recorded against 23 journalists under the act from January to May, 2022. During the time, 3 journalists had been sent to jail after being arrested.
ARTICLE 19 expressed grave concern over the brutal killings of three media workers within the last three months. On June 8, 2022, Abdul Bari, a senior production executive of the private television channel DBC News, was found dead with marks of stabbing on his chest and neck in a bush on the bank of Hatirjheel Lake in the capital.
Police recovered the body of Abu Jafar Pradeep, a correspondent of local daily Sorejomin Barta, from a pond in Kalapara Upazila of Patuakhali on June 6, 2022.
On April 13, 2022, Mohiuddin Sarkar Naeem, a journalist based in Cumilla, was shot dead by miscreants while performing his professional duties in Burichang Upazila of Cumilla.
