FEBRUARY 3, 2005
Posted April 1, 2005
Shafiul Haque Mithu, Janakantha
THREATENED
Mithu, the local correspondent for the Bangla-language daily Janakantha in the southwestern town of Priojpur, received anonymous threats over his cell phone on February 3 and 4, according to reports in Janakantha and the popular daily Prothom Alo. Mithu filed a report with local police.
The reason for the threats was not disclosed, but could be related to an attack Mithu suffered in December 2003 when a group of thugs and political activists ambushed the journalist and beat him severely in retaliation for his reporting on local officials’ abuse of power.
Mithu brought charges against his attackers; one of the assailants, known by the single name Russel, was arrested on December 28 of that year. When a local court released Russel on bail in March 2004, he threatened Mithu’s relatives with “dire consequences” if they did not drop the charges, according to The Daily Star.