Fairly investigate cases against all journalists
We are concerned about how journalists continue to be targeted through retaliatory cases since the fall of the Awami League (AL) government in August last year. Very recently, 26 journalists were accused in an attempted murder case filed by Rezaul Islam, a lawyer affiliated with the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum's Chattogram unit. The case, filed on May 13, alleges that the journalists, along with others, were involved in an attack on Rezaul on May 1, 2025. However, many of the accused journalists strongly deny the charges, claiming that the allegations are based on distorted facts. They assert that they are victims of retaliatory cases, similar to previous incidents where journalists were indiscriminately targeted. Such arbitrary filing of criminal cases against journalists undermine press freedom.
In the case statement, Rezaul alleges that many of the accused are affiliated with the AL, Jubo League, and their associated groups. He accuses them of extortion, murder, and attacking protesters during the July uprising. He further claims that they repeatedly threatened him to withdraw cases filed on behalf of the families of July victims, and that they attempted to abduct him, robbed him, and even hurled a crude bomb at him. However, the journalists accused in the case have narrated a completely different version of events. According to them, Rezaul threatened to disrupt a picnic event via a Facebook post on April 30. On the day of the picnic, May 1, he and his group allegedly assaulted one of the journalists near Premier University. Furthermore, several journalists who were nowhere near the scene that day were nonetheless implicated. Additionally, law enforcement officials have raised doubts about some of the claims in the case statement. The Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Police Station stated that no reports of a crude bomb explosion had been received in his jurisdiction. The inconsistencies between Rezaul's allegations and the journalists' accounts must be addressed through a fair and impartial investigation, as demanded by the Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ).
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We therefore urge the government to conduct a fair investigation into this case and take strong measures to prevent the misuse of the legal system. While the government previously stated that legal action would be taken against those filing false cases, we have yet to see any meaningful steps to this effect. This is deeply concerning. At present, journalists remain imprisoned due to cases filed out of personal or political vendettas. These cases should be resolved through due process.
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