Prothom Alo
The court today (Sunday) granted the bail order to Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam, who was behind bars in a case filed under the Penal Code and the Official Secrets Act.
She was granted bail on condition of a Tk 5,000 bond and surrendering her passport.
During the hearing, chief public prosecutor Abdullah Abu told the court the case is very sensitive and if the accused surrenders her passport to the court, then the prosecution will have no objection to granting her a bail.
Later Rozina Islam’s counsel Ehsanul Haque Shomaji said, “We have no objection to the conditions brought by the prosecution.”
Hearing the both parties, the court then granted bail on condition of surrendering her passport. The court also observed that the new media is a powerful tool and all must behave responsibly.
Lawyers Aminul Gani Tito, Ashraful Alam, Jyotirmoy Barua, Prashant Kumar Karmakar and Ain o Salish Kendra’s (ASK) Abdur Rashid defended Rozina Islam in court.
Lawyer Moshiur Rahman of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Mizanur Rahman of ASK, Dipti Sikder of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Shammee Akhter, Sumon Kumar Roy, Mahbubul Haque and Abdur Rahim also provided legal assistance for Rozina Islam.
Lawyer Taposh Kumar Pal and Hemayet Uddin Khan Hiron represented the state as public prosecutors.
After the bail hearing, public prosecutor Abdullah Abu told newspersons that information and evidence related to the case had been submitted to the court. He, however, didn’t disclose what sort of information had been provided .
On 19 May, Dhaka’s chief metropolitan magistrate Baki Billah held the hearing on Rozina Islam’s bail petition and fixed 23 May to deliver its order on the bail. The court also ordered the prosecution to present evidence on the same day.
During the hearing, Rozina Islam’s counsels told the court that allegations brought against her were false, fabricated, baseless, concocted and motivated and she deserved to be released on a bail.
On 17 May, investigative journalist Rozina Islam went to the health ministry to carry out her profession duties where she had been confined for over five hours on top of being harassed and tortured. She was handed over to the Shahbagh police around 8:30 pm and a case was filed against with Shahbagh police station around 11:45pm.
The next day, police showed Rozina Islam arrested in the case and produced her in court. Police sought to take her on a five-day remand. The court held the hearing and ordered to send her to jail, rejecting the remand plea. Rozina Islam was sent to Kashimpur Central Women’s Prison. The court also held further hearing on 18 May.
Meanwhile, the harassment and arrest of Rozina Islam has created widespread uproar at home and abroad, with people from all walks of life demanding unconditional release of the journalist and withdrawal of the case filed against her.
