Staff Reporter :
Journalists across the country have been protesting and demanding unconditional and immediate release of Prothom Alo’s Senior Correspondent Rozina Islam, and awarding punishment to the officials who tortured her at the Secretariat.
At the time they also demanded the repeal of the Official Secrets Act and enactment of the Journalist Protection Act.
On Thursday, media workers took to the streets in protest.
Several journalists ‘organizations, including the Dhaka Journalists’ Union, have been protesting at the National Press Club since the morning demanding the release of imprisoned journalist Rozina Islam.
At that time, they demanded the immediate withdrawal of the case, and giving of the punishment to the perpetrators of Rozina Islam.
Outraged journalists also called for investigation into the corruption in the health ministry.
Besides, there was a demand for enactment of journalist protection law.
Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, a Senior journalist said, “As a journalist every work of Rozina is for the welfare of the people and the welfare of the state.” Good journalists not only make friends, but also create enemy.
Rozina’s enemy has also been created in the Ministry of Health. Those who bribe and smuggle millions of Taka are against Rozina, he added.
Farida Yasmin, President of the National Press Club, said that no matter what they (the Ministry of Health) said it was under the law, if it was wrong in their eyes, they could have taken immediate action. They could call journalists leaders, even they could tell the Press Council for a solution.
Why was she tortured for six hours without doing that? From this rally we are demanding justice, she added.
Meanwhile, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, the Deputy Minister for Education, has been declared unwanted at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).
DRU General Secretary Mashiur Rahman on Thursday informed it responding to a recent Facebook post by Nowfel.
It is mentionable that Mohibul Hasan made a controversial remarks about journalist Rozina Islam’s harassment issue through a post on his official Facebook handle recently.
The deputy education minister had lashed out at journalists. ” So he is unwanted at any programme of DRU, We are declaring him unwanted,” DRU GS Mashiur Rahman said.
DRU will not rent their conference rooms for any event that has Mohibul Hasan as a guest, He further added.
Meanwhile, Reporters without Borders (RSF) has urged the Bangladesh government for immediate release of Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam.
The RSF in a statement published on its website on Wednesday made the call.
“Investigative journalist Rozina Islam was detained earlier this week during a visit to the Bangladeshi Health Ministry, after publishing a series of reports on corruption in the ministry. She was subsequently charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act,” it said.
Rozina Islam has been languishing in jail since Tuesday, in a case filed by a deputy secretary of the Health Services Division (HSD) on charge of stealing away government documents.
On Monday, the HSD officials kept the Prothom Alo journalist confined inside the Secretariat and harassed her there on Monday, before handing her over to the police.
Apart from this, there have been human chains and demonstrations in different places outside the capital demanding the release of journalist Rozina Islam. Various programs were observed.
