Following the arrest of the attacker, identified as Rajib Rahman, police immediately registered a case. Colleagues of Sayem and members of the journalist community in Dhaka took to the streets following his death to protest the murder and demand justice. The IFJ and the BMSF express condolences to Sayem’s family and colleagues. The IFJ said: “The IFJ condemn the murder of Abu Sayem and demand the government of Bangladesh investigate the case to deliver justice to the slain journalist.” The IFJ added: “This is the fourth media related murder this year in Bangladesh with three bloggers already brutally murder this year. The safety of the media community remains an issue in Bangladesh and the government needs to take immediate action and increase security to ensure there is an end to the continued attacks against the media.”In February this year, US-Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy was brutally hacked to death in Dhaka as he was in Bangladesh to launch his new book. In March, Md Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed, which two of his attackers said was the result of his writings. In May, Ananta Bijoy Das was killed when four men chased him down on his way to work. Das regularly wrote pieces published on Avijit Roy’s Mukto-Mona (free mind) blog.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0946
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 134 countries
Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific