Several hundred media workers demonstrated in Bangladesh on Tuesday to protest the arrest of a journalist on charges of violating official secrets.
Rozina Islam, a senior reporter with the leading daily, Prothom Alo, was sent to jail pending a hearing on her bail petition after she was arrested for allegedly making off with documents at the Health Ministry, defence lawyer Ehsanul Haq said.
Islam, well known for her investigative reporting was confined at the ministry for more than five hours before she was handed to local police on Monday night.
Her sister Sabina Parvin said Islam was harassed “physically and mentally’’ by ministry officials as she visited on professional business.
“She was hit and threatened during the confinement.
“The officials also searched her handbag and took away her cell phones,’’ Parvin said.
Police officer Harun-Or-Rashid said the reporter was charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act of 1923 for “stealing sensitive official documents and taking their photographs.’’
If found guilty, Islam may face the death penalty or imprisonment of 14 years.
Several hundred journalists staged demonstrations in Dhaka and other cities to demand the government immediately release Islam and withdraw the allegations brought against her.
The Committee to Protect Journalists also called on the authorities to release Islam and stop arresting journalists under the law.
“Bangladesh police and authorities should recognise that Rozina Islam is a journalist whose work is a public service and should immediately drop the case against her and allow her to go free,’’ CPJ’s senior Asia researcher Aliya Iftikhar said in a statement.
dpa/NAN
