On August 21, 2024, police arrested Shakil Ahmed, former head of news at Ekattor TV, and Farzana Rupa, Ahmed’s wife and former principal correspondent at the privately owned broadcaster, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.
Officers also confiscated the couple’s cell phones and passports, a person familiar with the case told CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
The couple and Ekattor TV are known for their support of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted earlier in August following mass protests that ended her 15-year rule. Dozens of journalists whose reporting was considered favorable towards Hasina’s government have since been targeted in criminal investigations.
Rupa and Ahmed were dismissed from Ekattor TV on August 8, three days after Hasina fled Bangladesh.
Rupa received threats after she commented on and asked Hasina a question about the protests during a July press conference, the person familiar with the case said.
On August 31, a Dhaka court jailed Rupa and Ahmed on judicial remand following nine days in police custody.
As of late 2024, Ahmed was held in Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj—on the outskirts of the capital—while police investigated allegations that he instigated three murders during the protests in violation of the penal code, the person familiar with the case told CPJ.
Ahmed suffers from high blood pressure and cardiac issues but the court denied him access to the highest quality facilities, known colloquially as “division,” a category outlined under Bangladesh’s jail code, the person added.
As of late 2024, police spokesperson Enamul Haque Sagor and home ministry adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who oversees Bangladesh’s police and prisons, did not respond to CPJ’s calls and text messages requesting comment.