24 June 1998
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply
concerned over a number of recent attacks that raise
serious questions about freedom of the press in
Bangladesh. The attacks represent nearly the full
spectrum of dangers that journalists face -- everything
from state-sponsored censorship to extragovernmental
violence. We are particularly alarmed about the following
recent incidents:
On 10 May, the Deputy Commissioner of Jessore issued a
show-cause notice to Dainik Lokesamaj, and on May
13 a similar notice was delivered to Dainik
Purabi. The two daily newspapers were required to
prove that they should not be banned for their
publication of articles that had offended both the Hindu
and Muslim communities. The district administrator in
Jessore issued the notices even though each newspaper had
apologized for the articles and succeeded in appeasing
the religious groups that had initially protested
them.
For some time now, journalists in Bangladesh have been
agitating for the repeal of laws that grant district
administrators press-licensing authority and the power to
arbitrarily cancel licenses. According to our sources,
administrators routinely issue arrest warrants against
publishers, editors, and printers -- often before even
conducting investigations to determine wrongdoing.
Although, in the case of Purabi and
Lokesamaj, threats to close down the papers were
never carried out, CPJ hopes that such attempts at press
intimidation will not be tolerated by your government,
and we ask that you follow through on the press freedom
commitments you made when you were elected by repealing
statutes that leave journalists vulnerable to such abuses
of power.
On 26 May, a band of about 30 young men attacked the
Dainik Manav Zamin offices in Dhaka. Two employees
of the tabloid daily were injured by the gang, who are
suspected to have been members of the youth wing of the
Jatiya Party. The group was said to have been angered by
the newspaper's report that former president and JP
chairman General Hussain Muhammad Ershad had purchased
the anti-impotence drug Viagra on a recent visit to
London. An editor from the paper said that while the
police posted guards outside the newspaper building for a
few days after the incident, little has been done to
investigate the matter and identify the attackers.
On 9 June, also in Dhaka, five newspaper
correspondents were assaulted while covering a story
about the kidnapping of seven people in connection with a
water dispute between two parties in Ghargaon and
Raktagram villages. According to the Bangladesh Centre
for the Development of Journalism and Communication
(BCDJC), the journalists attacked were Manav Zamin
correspondent Masud Ahmed, Banglabazar
correspondent Abdul Aziz, Dainik Dinkal
correspondent Faruq Ahmed Bakht, Bhorer Kagoj
correspondent Nijamul Huq, and Manuebarta correspondent
Mostfa Ahmed Chowdhury.
And in Dhaka, on 18 June, several journalists were
assaulted and their press vehicles attacked as they
attempted to cover the nationwide strike called by the
opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Although
the BNP had announced that vehicles marked "press" would
be free to move during the strike, there were several
violent incidents directed against the media. According
to the BCDJC, several journalists, including the daily
newspaper Sangbad's reporter Abdullah Farooq, were
harassed and robbed, the daily newspaper Muktakantha's
vehicle was set on fire, and the taxi used by the tabloid
daily Manav Zamin was bombed. Other press vehicles
damaged in incidents around the city were those of the
newspapers Bhorer Kagoj, Daily Star, Ajker Kagoj,
and Banglabazar.
On 12 June, Dainik Ittefaq, Bangladesh's
largest circulation daily paper, ran a rare front-page
commentary, expressing enormous frustration with the fact
that those who attack journalists and newspapers are
seldom brought to justice. The editorial's prominent
placement is a reflection of the journalistic community's
growing dismay with a system that does not protect them.
Shortly thereafter, on 17 June, Home Secretary Shafiur
asked police to more aggressively investigate attacks
against journalists so that criminals can be
prosecuted.
As a non-partisan organization of journalists
committed to defending press freedom worldwide, CPJ urges
your government to enforce that pledge. We recognize the
progress your government has made in protecting civil
institutions, including the press, but these recent
developments represent a dangerous trend in Bangladesh.
We believe that attacks on press freedom, if left
unchecked, will erode the hard-won foundation of
democracy in Bangladesh, and we ask you to use the full
force of your office to investigate attacks on the press
and curb abuses of power directed at journalists in
Bangladesh.
Thank you for your attention. We await your
response.
Yours sincerely,
William A. Orme, Jr.
Executive Director