'Shameful and abominable': Bangladesh politicians condemn the arrest of Prothom Alo reporter

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir says there is no press freedom left in Bangladesh, as he condemned the detention and harassment of Rozina Islam, a senior reporter for Prothom Alo.

“This is not a stray incident. It is an example of the obstacles the government puts up to the expression of differing opinions and truth and the exposure of the endless corruption it practices,” Mirza Fakhrul said in a statement.

“Through this incident, the government wants to scare courageous investigative reporters, to prevent them from exposing the corruption and irregularities within the government. They want to hide their corruption and bad governance through fear and terror.”

Police take Prothom Alo reporter Rozina Islam back to jail after a court rejected their petition to interrogate her over allegations of stealing government documents and photographing them on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The court has set Thursday for her bail hearing. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Mirza Fakhrul demanded the government stop any intervention against press freedom and the right to information and to cease the torture of journalists.

Criticising the officials of the health ministry for confining Rozina for more than five hours and “abusing her physically and mentally”, the BNP secretary-general said the action was “shameful and beyond forgiveness”.

“The government can’t avoid its responsibilities.”

Police try to stop reporters from taking photographs after a court rejected their petition to take Prothom Alo’s senior reporter Rozina Islam into custody to interrogate her over allegations of stealing government documents and photographing on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

“The health minister and the health secretary did not take any action after being informed of the incident, but handed Rozina to the police. They should resign over this.”

The BNP demanded a withdrawal of the case filed against Rozina and punishment to those linked to the incident.

The Workers Party of Bangladesh also condemned the arrest of Rozina, claiming the allegations against her were "fake" and demanded punitive action against those involved in her harassment.  

Police take Prothom Alo reporter Rozina Islam back to jail after a court rejected their petition to interrogate her over allegations of stealing government documents and photographing them on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The court has set Thursday for her bail hearing. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Rozina, a journalist known for her reportage of corruption most recently in the health sector, faced abuse in the Secretariat while performing her duty, which is “completely outrageous and abominable”, the Workers Party said in its statement.

“In her investigative reports, Rozina Islam highlighted the irregularities, corruption and mismanagement in the health ministry. Through her reports, the ministry’s flaws and mismanagement in upholding the people’s right to health were evident. Recently she wrote in detail about the corruption in relation to employment in the health ministry, which brought the involvement of some of officials to the forefront,” Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon and General Secretary Fazle Hossain Badshah wrote.

Police take Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam to Dhaka CMM’s court on Monday, May 18, 2021, after arresting her under the Official Secrets Act. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Rozina’s harassment proves that she was subjected to ‘sheer malice,’ according to the statement.

Menon and Badshah demanded punishment to those involved in harassing Rozina and the withdrawal of the case against her.

Officials handed Rozina to Shahbagh police on Monday evening after confining her for more than five hours to the room of Md Saiful Islam Bhuiyan, an aide to Health Services Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah.

In a late-night development, Rozina was sued under the Penal Code and Official Secrets Act for “stealing and photographing sensitive government documents”.

A Dhaka court has turned down an appeal from the police to interrogate Rozina in their custody and will hear Rozina’s appeal for bail on Thursday.