MEDIA
as reported by Khandaker Himel
Rozina Islam, a senior reporter of Prothom Alo, one of the country’s leading Bengali-language daily newspapers, was detained for more than five hours in a room inside the Bangladesh Secretariat when she went to the health ministry of Bangladesh last Monday to perform her professional duties. At one point, she fell ill. She was then handed over to the police and the cops took her to Shahbagh police station around 8.30 pm on that day.
.Later on, journalist Rozina Islam was brought to the Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur, Dhaka and the capital. Now, she has been charged under the Penal Code and Official Secrets Act for the theft and photographing of sensitive state documents. Allegedly, Rozina Islam was said to have used her mobile phone to photograph documents related to Bangladesh’s negotiations for buying and collecting coronavirus vaccines without permission to do so. The said charges carry up to 14 years in prison and the death penalty if convicted.
Rozina Islam has been reporting on the alleged corruption involving the Ministry of Health over the procurement of emergency health equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Various national and international organizations have strongly condemned and protested against Rozina Islam’s physical torture, arrest and filing of a case against her.
Expressing concern over the incident, UN spokesman Stephen Dujarric said, “We have seen press reports about the arrest of journalists in Bangladesh. This is something we will definitely see. This is a matter of concern.
“Our position is clear,” he added. Journalists in all countries of the world are required to perform their duties independently without any form of harassment or physical abuse. Of course, Bangladesh and other countries are among them.
Footnote: The photo is an image that has been widely shared on social networks. Reproduced here without the author’s credit.
About the reporter:
Khandaker Himel is the Bangladesh Representative of Centro Studi Umanista Salvatore Puledda (CSU)
