Dhaka, June 20: Concerns are escalating in Bangladesh regarding actions taken against journalists. According to local media reports, police have arrested a journalist under the country’s Cyber Security Act. This case is connected to multiple reports allegedly defaming the state minister for local government, rural development, and cooperatives, Mir Shah Alam.
The arrested journalist has been identified as Reza Nur Islam, the acting editor of the Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Agrajatra. According to Atatur Rahman, the additional police superintendent (media) of Bogura, he was apprehended on the night of June 18 in the Board Bazar area of Gazipur Sadar sub-district and was subsequently sent to Bogura jail on Friday by court order.
As reported by the Dhaka Tribune, this case was filed following the publication of a report on June 15, which accused Mir Shah Alam, the lawmaker for Bogura-2 (Shibganj), of corruption.
Reports indicate that the complaint was lodged by Tanvir Alam Rimon, the treasurer of the Bogura Press Club and the northern regional representative of The New Nation, against six individuals, including the newspaper’s editor and publisher.
In response to the complaint, a senior judicial magistrate ordered legal action against the accused and directed the Bogura Sadar police station to register the case as an FIR.
Other accused individuals include Mehdi Hasan, the publisher and editor of Daily Agrajatra; news editor Ashraf Ali Faruki; reporter Saleh Kaiser; Bogura reporter Mohammad Shams; and district reporter Sabbir Hasan.
According to Bangladeshi media outlet The Daily Star, it was alleged that Daily Agrajatra published a report on May 4 under the headline “State Minister Mir Shah Alam in Corruption Controversy” on its social media page, which the complainant described as “defamatory, false, and fabricated.”
Following this incident, the Awami League of Bangladesh condemned Reza Nur’s arrest and warned that criminal cases against journalists for critical reporting raise serious concerns about press freedom and the diminishing space for independent media in the country.
The Awami League stated, “This issue is not just about one individual. It is about whether uncomfortable reporting can be deemed a criminal offense. When criticism is labeled as ‘provocation’ and poor coverage as ‘defamation,’ the space for independent journalism inevitably shrinks.”
It further added, “Reza Nur Islam is a journalist, not a convicted criminal. Yet, he is now in jail while legal proceedings are ongoing. For critics, this is much more than the detention of a media professional. It is a troubling sign for press freedom and the ability of journalists to hold those in power accountable.”
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