Khaleda worried over Mahmudur’s arrest

Khaleda Zia

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday lambasted the government for the arrest of Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

In a written statement sent to media houses, the opposition leader termed Mahmudur as “patriot and dauntless” and expressed deep concern over the arrest of the Bangla daily editor.

Khaleda’s statement came nearly an hour after Mahmudur was placed on a 13-day remand in connection with three cases.

Earlier, main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has demanded immediate release of Mahmudur.

Terming the arrest as “undemocratic and dictatorial”, BNP spokesperson Shamsuzzaman Dudu said: “It is also one of the examples of repression on media by the government.”

Also an adviser of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, Dudu was addressing a press conference at the parity’s headquarters at Nayapaltan in the capital soon after the arrest.

Detectives arrested Rahman at his office at Karwan Bazar in the capital at 9:00am Thursday in connection with a case filed over publication of a report on the alleged Skype conversation between former International Crimes Tribunal chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq and an expatriate Bangladeshi legal expert, Ahmed Ziauddin, last year.

Of the three cases, one was filed for publishing reports on Skype conversation between former International Crimes Tribunal chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq and an expatriate Bangladeshi legal expert, Ahmed Ziauddin, last year.

In two other cases, Mahmudur was shown arrested for hartal and pre-hartal related violence in February and March and obstructing police from discharging duties.

All the cases were filed with Tejgaon Police Station.