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May 27, 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in
Bangladesh.
Description of the situation:
Rozina Islam, a senior investigative reporter for the newspaper
Prothom Alo, who has reported on cases of government corruption, including alleged mismanagement and acts of bribery by officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On May 17, 2021, Rozina Islam went to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Dhaka to attend a meeting with the Secretary of the Ministry’s Health Services Division. Officials of the Ministry held her for more than five hours and accused her of taking pictures of official documents containing sensitive information at the office of the Secretary’s personal secretary. While she was being held, Rozina Islam was denied access to a doctor, even
Investigative journalist arrested in Bangladesh under colonial-era official secrecy law Sahidul Hasan Khokon Investigative journalist arrested in Bangladesh under colonial-era official secrecy law
A journalist in Bangladesh known for her reporting on corruption was arrested on charges of violating a colonial-era official secrecy law.
The arrest of Rozina Islam, senior correspondent with Bangladeshi top news daily Prothom Alo, triggered protests by journalists and activists.
Rozina Islam was sent to jail after Magistrate Mohammad Jasim of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dhaka court turned down a plea seeking her remand in custody for five days.
The senior reporter had allegedly used her cellphone without permission to photograph documents related to government negotiations to buy coronavirus vaccines while she waited in the room of an Health Ministry official, according to case documents seen by The Associated Press.
BenarNews
Hundreds of reporters demanded the release of a veteran journalist who was formally arrested Tuesday under the Official Secrets Act, on suspicion of photographing without permission documents related to the government’s purchase of COVID-19 vaccines from China and Russia.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said the documents for the vaccine deals had non-disclosure clauses, but a lawyer for arrested journalist Rozina Islam accused the ministry of targeting her because of her recent reports that exposed alleged graft in the public health system.
“The [health] ministry officials filed the case against Rozina to get revenge as she wrote several reports on the corruption of the ministry officials,” said Ehsanul Haque Somaji, the attorney for Islam and her employer, Prothom Alo, one of Bangladesh’s most popular daily newspapers.