Press freedom groups urge government action on cases
Agency
DHAKA, September 01 2023: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and 18 other press freedom and human rights organisations have urged the government of Bangladesh to intervene in an ongoing Digital Security Act (DSA) case against journalist Adhora Yeasmean, who has suffered continual harassment and intimidation after reporting on alleged criminal activities of a religious organisation in the country. The IFJ urges the Bangladeshi authorities to guarantee the safety and security of all journalists and to ensure that neither the DSA nor the country’s Cyber Security Act are used to target journalists and freedom of expression.
In the letter sent to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh National Human Rights Commission Chair Kamal Uddin Ahmed, and Ministers Asaduzzaman Khan, Anisul Huq, Faridul Haque Khan, and AK Abdul Momen on August 30, 19 human rights and journalist representative bodies, including the IFJ, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and Amnesty International, call for the immediate dismissal of all charges against RTV journalist Adhora Yeasmean and interviewee Akramul Ahsan Kanchan.
Yeasmean’s case was registered on May 13, 2023, after the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal accepted a complaint by Shakerul Kabir, a leader within the religious organisation Rajabagh Darbar Sharif. Despite law enforcement receiving orders to investigate the incident, Yeasmean was only informed of the charges laid against her on July 8, nearly two months after legal action had commenced.
The case followed publication of a report by the journalist detailing allegations of extortion, harassment, ‘land-grabbing’ and a myriad of other charges by the group and its members, drawing from law enforcement records and reports from various human rights organisations. From mid-July, Yeasmean has faced unlawful surveillance from members of the organisation, with threats made to both herself and members of her family.
Interviewee and co-accused, Akramul Ahsan Kanchan, was also subjected to a criminal investigation following the publication of Yeasmean’s report and has since been convicted on fraud charges. His legal representation claims the registration of a case against him was retaliation for his allegations against the group and legal action he organised in 2021 between Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission, Criminal Investigation Department, and the police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit. The resulting government probe found leader Dillur Rahman to have been involved in the lodging of at least 49 ‘fictitious cases’ against Kanchan, for which he spent over four years in prison.
The IFJ said: “The retribution faced by Adhora Yeasmean for her reporting should not be tolerated, nor should the flagrant abuse of the DSA to target journalists and media workers shining a light on corruption. The IFJ joins calls to Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that all charges are immediately withdrawn and that the safety and security of journalists in Bangladesh is guaranteed.”
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