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- Journalists Injured as Political Protests Engulf Bangladesh
Journalists Injured as Political Protests Engulf Bangladesh
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses its deep concern at the
recent instances when journalists have been injured and on occassions,
attacked by political activists in the cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, as protests
engulf Bangladesh.
Reports from
IFJ partners in Bangladesh indicate that ten journalists were injured when activists
of the Islamic political party, the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, the
Chhatra Shibir clashed with police in the national capital Dhaka, after Friday
prayers were concluded on February 22.
Protesters
were reportedly demanding the dispersal of crowds gathered in Shahbagh square,
another quarter of the city, demanding quick and effective punishment for war
crimes suspects from the Bangladesh war of liberation of 1971.
According to
information received from the Bangladesh Manobadhikar Songbadik Forum, police reportedly
employed crowd control measures when the Jamaat and Chhatra Shibir protesters
departed from the agreed route and began moving towards Shahbagh square,
threatening a direct confrontation.
Journalists
were among several others injured when the police resorted to a baton charge
and fired rubber bullets to defuse the situation.
The
journalists injured in Dhaka include GTV reporter Masudur Rahman, Independent
TV cameraperson Nurul Islam, Maasranga TV reporter Abdullah Tuhin, Amar Desh photographer Mir Ahmed Miru, Ekattar
TV reporter Arifuzzaman, Sangbad reporter Sayeed Bablu, and freelance journalist Aminul Islam Bhuiyan.
Elsewhere, at
least six journalists were injured in Bangladesh’s principal port city of
Chittagong, when a procession of Islamists shouting slogans against the
Shahbagh square protests attacked them after Friday prayers.
Photographers
of Jugantor and Inqilab dailies, camerapersons of the Maasranga, ATN Bangla and ATN
News TV channels, and the correspondent of BanikBarta ere injured.
The growing
political confrontation between the Islamist parties and a coalition of civil
society actors demanding accountability for 1971 war crimes, has witnessed a
number of deaths of protesters. On February 15, a protestor and anti-Islamist blogger
Ahmed Rajib Haider, was murdered shortly after returning home from a
demonstration. This led to a further escalation in the anti-Islamist protests.
The IFJ joins
partners in Bangladesh in calling on both sides to honour the basic rules of
safety for journalists engaged in reporting ongoing events.
Forfurther information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919The IFJrepresents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries Findthe IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific