14 editors ask for immediate release

Editors of 14 national dailies at an emergency meeting yesterday demanded immediate release of The Daily Janakantha Editor Mohammad Atiqullah Khan Masud.
He was arrested on March 7 last year.
In a joint statement after the meeting at Janakatha Bhaban, the editors said Atiqullah Khan is suffering from neurological problems, heart disease, intestinal disorder, Kidney trouble and eye problems. He is now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.
They also said the Janakantha is now facing serious editorial problems and financial crisis as its editor has been detained for a long time. Such crisis in a newspaper like the Janakantha is not expected, they observed.
This crisis cannot not be resolved unless Atiqullah Khan is released, they noted.
The editors also said his release will not hamper court proceedings in the cases against him.
Signatories to the statement include Editor of The Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman, Bangladesh Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Ittefaq Editor Rahat Khan, The Independent Editor Mahbubul Alam, Amar Desh acting Editor Ataus Samad, Janakatha Advisory Editor Toab khan, News Today Editor Reaz Uddin Ahmed, Economic Times Editor Shawkat Mahmud, Manab Zamin Joint Editor Sazzad Kadir, Samakal Managing Editor Abu Saeed Khan, Jugantor Deputy Editor Saiful Alam and Bhorer Kagaj Editor Shyamal Dutta.