Various organisations condemn Prothom Alo reporter’s confinement at Secretariat and subsequent handover to police
Journalists have gone to Shahbagh Police Station to protest the confinement of Bangla daily Prothom Alo’s Senior Reporter Rozina Islam at the Secretariat and her subsequent handover to the police station.
Various organisations and journalist leaders have also condemned the incident, reports Prothom Alo.
Journalists from different media outlets staged demonstrations inside Shahbagh Police Station tonight and called for Rozina’s release, reports Prothom Alo.
Rozina Islam was taken to Shahbagh Police Station around 8:30pm yesterday after being detained at the health ministry in the Secretariat for five hours.
During the protest last night, the journalists condemned the health minister and the health secretary for the detention and harassment of Rozina Islam. They also demanded the resignation of the minister and secretary, reports the Bangla daily.
The demonstration was going on till the Bangla daily filed the report around 11:00pm.
Meanwhile, various organisations and journalist leaders have expressed their anger over the incident.
M Abdullah, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), told Prothom Alo that the behaviour with Rozina Islam at the Secretariat was nasty.
Journalists are worried, angry and surprised by this incident. It is a reflection of the continuing resentment of independent and investigative journalism and the free media.
Dhaka Union of Journalists General Secretary Sazzad Alam Khan told Prothom Alo that the government should ensure that no innocent journalist will be harassed.
In a tweet, The New York based organisation Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep concern over the detention of Rozina Islam and subsequent handing over to police. The organisation called for her immediate release.
Besides, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Dr Fauzia Moslem and its General Secretary Maleka Banu strongly condemned and protest the incident.
Condemning the detention and harassment of Rozina Islam, Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) in a statement said that Rozina Islam was working to ensure people’s right to information through coverage of objective news. In her report, she highlighted various corruptions and irregularities in the health ministry.