Journalist groups condemn police association statement on corruption reporting

The BFUJ and the DUJ say journalists will continue performing their professional duty despite ‘threats’

Two groups of journalists have slated a statement by the Police Service Association over recent reports on alleged corruption by former senior officers.

The Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, or BFUJ, and the Dhaka Union of Journalists, or DUJ, issued a statement on Saturday in response to the police association’s call for caution in publishing news.

The unions of journalists say they will continue performing their professional duty despite ‘threats’.

In their statement on Friday, Bangladesh Police Service Association President Monirul Islam and General Secretary Golam Mostafa said it was “not unreasonable to ask why some media are engaged in such slander against the Bangladesh Police, and in whose interests”.

Mostafa said they issued the statement in the wake of the publication of news in the media about the huge wealth of former IGP Benazir Ahmed and former DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia.

The Police Service Association described the reports as “unsubstantiated hyperbole”.

In reaction, the BFUJ and the DUJ expressed “deep concern” over the comments of the police association.

“We feel that the language which some leaders and some organisations used is a threat to independent journalism,” the journalist groups said.

They also said the unions believe the reports were not published to serve any special purpose, but “responsible journalists are publicsing the verifiable information after scrutinising documents”.

“The leaders of BFUJ and DUJ firmly state that the journalist community will continue to fulfil their professional responsibilities based on authentic information in the face of threats and intimidation.”