Journalist persecution continues: Mozammel Babu is shown arrested in extortion case

Staff Correspondent

In a context where the persecution of journalists in the country has now reached an extreme level, journalist Mozammel Babu has been shown arrested in an extortion case by Banani Police Station.

Today, Sunday, August 10, the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman issued this order after a hearing and Babu was sent to prison.

He was produced before the CMM court in Dhaka in the morning. Then, the investigation officer of the case and Banani Police Station SI Rajiul Amin requested to show him arrested.

At around 11:40 am, Babu was brought to the court wearing a helmet and bulletproof jacket.

During the hearing, the state claimed that there were allegations of extortion of Tk 10 crore and embezzlement of Tk 4.5 lakh at the Baisakhi TV office during the military-backed government. The court granted the arrest and ordered Babu to be sent to prison.

He was earlier arrested from the Dhobaura border in Mymensingh on September 17. Although the case was filed based on allegations of an incident in 2007, Babu’s family and colleagues have claimed it to be completely false and politically motivated.

They allege that the current interim government is intimidating journalists and suppressing them in an attempt to control the media.

Incidentally, incidents of attacks, harassment, threats, imprisonment and denial of bail to journalists are now a daily occurrence in the country. Cows have been slaughtered in front of the offices of several major newspapers and threats have been made publicly, offices of newspapers and TV channels have been occupied, and journalists have been dismissed from their jobs by listing them. But those involved in these incidents have not been brought to justice, and instead, allegations have been made against the ruling class for patronizing the accused.

According to information from domestic and foreign human rights organizations, 10 journalists have been killed from July last year to June this year. At least 412 journalists have been accused of false or harassing cases, and 39 have been arrested.

The Ministry of Information has canceled the press accreditation of 168 journalists, banned 300 journalists from traveling abroad, and frozen hundreds of bank accounts. During this time, more than a thousand journalists have lost their jobs, and the office of the Dhaka Union of Journalists has been locked for 11 months.

In this situation, the journalist community says, “Media and journalism freedom in Bangladesh is facing an unprecedented crisis.”