February 27, 2015, Mumbai--Bangladeshi authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the murder on Thursday of a blogger in the capital, Dhaka, and ensure the perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Avijit Roy had criticized religious fundamentalism on his blog and had covered secular topics, including free expression.
New York, January 6, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest of the owner of a Bangladeshi TV channel, which was unavailable in several parts of the country a day after airing a speech by an exiled opposition leader.
Reports | Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mexico, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
More than 200 journalists are imprisoned for their work for the third consecutive year, reflecting a global surge in authoritarianism. China is the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2014. A CPJ special report by Shazdeh Omari
On December 2, 2014, a special war crimes court convicted Dhaka-based British journalist David Bergman of contempt in connection with his reporting, according to news reports. The court ruled that Bergman's writing "portraying derogatory criticism" had "hurt the feelings of the nation," and ordered him to pay a 5,000 taka (US$65) fine or serve seven days in prison, news reports said. The court added that Bergman's reporting "tended to attack and [lower] the authority and majesty of the Tribunal."
New York, August 29, 2014--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Bangladeshi authorities to investigate the murder this week of a TV host, and to identify the motive and bring the perpetrators to justice. Nurul Islam Faruqi, who was also an imam, used his religious programs to speak out against subjects including Islamist groups and militancy.
New York, August 21, 2014--Bangladeshi authorities should immediately release the editor of a daily newspaper who has been held for two days without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
This week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet approved a restrictive policy governing Bangladesh's broadcast media. While the policy calls for the creation of an independent commission to oversee electronic media--a positive step, in principle--it's unclear how and how quickly the commission will be formed. Meanwhile, the policy restricts what can be broadcast, raising red flags.
New York, May 23, 2014--Bangladeshi authorities should conduct an efficient investigation into the murder of a local journalist and ensure the killers are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sadrul Alam Nipul was a reporter for the local Bengali-language daily Dainik Mathabhanga.
On May 13, 2014, Shishir Morol, a health correspondent for the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo, was held for more than two hours and beaten by at least three doctors at a hospital in the capital, Dhaka, according to local reports. At the time of the attack, Morol was investigating the use of allegedly false credentials by one of the hospital's doctors, the reports said.
It's not the first time, and it likely won't be the last: Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal has demonstrated little tolerance for criticism of its activities. Last week, the tribunal launched contempt of court proceedings against Dhaka-based British journalist David Bergman for his blog posts on the court.
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1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations.
2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers.
3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border.
Or click here to see the full petition, and join leading journalists like Christiane Amanpour, The Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the AP Kathleen Carroll, and Arianna Huffington in signing on.
