A screen shot taken from Prothom Alo's YouTube channel of Bangladeshi journalists protesting the arrest of the paper's correspondent, Rozina Islam, in Dhaka on May 17, 2021.
NEW YORK, May 18 2021 - The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Bangladeshi authorities to immediately release journalist Rozina Islam, withdraw the investigation into her, and to stop arresting journalists under the Official Secrets Act.
Islam, a senior correspondent for the daily newspaper
Prothom Alo, was arrested today after the Health Ministry filed a complaint against her under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, according to news reports. She was accused of taking pictures of official documents under sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, and under sections 379 and 411 of the penal code, and could face up to 14 years in prison and the death penalty if charged and convicted, according to the laws. Islam is being held at the Shahbagh police station in Dhaka, the capital, Sajjad Sharif, managing editor of