Harassment for reports is interference in press freedom: Reporters Against Corruption

Reporters Against Corruption or RAC has condemned the pressure on bdnews24.com to remove old reports as “interference in the freedom of press”.

The group of journalists covering news about Anti-Corruption Commission in a statement on Tuesday alleged a number of members of the organisation are facing harassment for writing reports against corruption.

“Harassing reporters is nothing but a new strategy to hide corruption,” RAC President Mohiuddin Ahmed and General Secretary Ahmed Foyez said in the statement.

The RAC leaders urged everyone to refrain from such “condemnable” practices.

They threatened to launch protest with other groups of journalists against such activities if these continue.

bdnews24.com had published reports on court proceedings and orders in cases filed against former MP HBM Iqbal, a freedom fighter and chairman of Premier Group, and members of his family in the past one and a half decades as had other mainstream media outlets.

bdnews24.com, Bangladesh's first internet newspaper, also covered the news of acquittal of Iqbal and his family members of the charges.

But after dozens of legal notices from a number of districts to have the reports removed, a person named Kazi Nasir Uddin Babul who identified himself as a friend of Iqbal filed a plea in a Barishal court to start a Tk 2 billion defamation suit against bdnews24.com. A court is set pass an order on the plea on Mar 10.

“bdnews24.om is being threatened continuously to remove reports on court proceedings of corruption cases. Editors of the internet news portal, including the editor-in-chief, face cases,” the RAC said.

It expressed concern over harassment of several RAC members, other journalists and news organisations. “RAC has observed with grave concern that several business organisations are harassing media workers and organisations although they published reports properly on the basis of formal press conference of the Anti-Corruption Commission and comments of its officials.”

The Reporters Against Corruption said a customs official threatened to sue the organisation’s member Atika Rahman for reporting corruption allegedly by the official in private channel RTV. The state’s funds were spent on publishing a rejoinder to the report in the form of advertisement.

Selia Sultana, reporter of Somoy TV, Aditya Arafat of DBC News, Towhidul Islam of Boishakhi TV, and Maruf Kibria of the Daily Manabzamin are among a number of journalists who were harassed for reporting against corruption, according to the RAC statement.

These are clearly “interference in the freedom of press” the RAC said, adding that the ACC and government should stand beside the reporters and media organisations.

“Reports against corruptions help the ACC prevent corruption and play a strong role in realising the government’s strategy against corruption,” the statement said.