October 26, 1999
VIA FAX: 011-88-02-813-244
Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by the latest brutal assault on photojournalists committed by the Dhaka police.
On Friday, October 22, riot police were dispatched to subdue a demonstration held in the capital by Islamic activists. The police turned their batons on two newspaper photographers who were documenting their treatment of the protesters. Babul Talukder, a photographer for Dainik Dinkal,and Mintu, who works for Dainik Janata, were both badly beaten.
When other photographers on the scene gathered to complain to senior officers about the police brutality, dozens of riot police attacked the group and pummeled them with their batons. Among the photographers injured by the police in this second assault were Joy of Banglabazar Patrika;Abdur Razzak of Dainik Sangram;Enamul Huq Kabir of Dainik Muktakantha;Subir of Dainik Arthaneeti;Swapan Sarker of Dainik Banglar Bani;Matiur Rahman Tuku and Mamun Talukder of Ajker Kagoj;Bulbul Ahmed of The Independent;Salimullah Salim of The New Nation;and Faruque Ahmed of the United News of Bangladesh agency (UNB).
As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our colleagues around the world, CPJ is dismayed by the harsh tactics that Bangladeshi police employed to suppress coverage of their own conduct during a political demonstration. We have repeatedly written to Your Excellency noting the frequent involvement of state actors in such violent attacks against journalists, but have received no response.
CPJ welcomes pledges by Y.B. Siddique, Bangladesh’s police chief, at a seminar convened by photojournalists in Dhaka, shortly before the Friday attacks. According to local journalists, Siddique promised to issue a memorandum instructing police never to harass, threaten, or assault journalists for exercising their professional duties. CPJ hopes that last week’s incident will convince authorities of the urgent need for such directives.
CPJ urges Your Excellency to take this opportunity to initiate reforms that will demonstrate your administration’s commitment to press freedom. We respectfully ask you to order an inquiry into Friday’s brutal attack on the press photographers, and to ensure that the officers found guilty of assaulting journalists are held accountable for their actions.
We thank you for your attention to this matter, and eagerly await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
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VIA FAX: 011-88-02-813-244
Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh