Committee to Protect Journalists seeks Probir's release

Noting that journalists in Bangladesh have faced heightened pressure for critical reporting on the authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for the immediate release of journalist Probir Sikdar and investigation into the threats he faced.

"Jailing journalists for publishing threats made against them further undermines confidence in Bangladesh's legal system," said CPJ Asia Programme Research Associate Sumit Galhotra.

Probir, editor of Bangla daily Bangla 71 and online news portal u71news.com, was picked up by detectives on Sunday evening from his Indira Road office in the capital.

The arrest was shown in a case under the information and communication technology act accusing him of "tarnishing the image" of LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

A Faridpur Awami League leader, Swapan Kumar Paul, filed it that day after Probir in a Facebook post said his life was under threat and that the minister, businessman Moosa bin Shamser and condemned fugitive war criminal Abul Kalam Azad would be responsible if he were killed, police said.

Working to safeguard press freedom worldwide, the independent, nonprofit organisation in a report published on its website yesterday said Khandaker's office did not immediately respond to CPJ's emailed request for comment.

"The harassment of journalists comes as bloggers in the country face death threats from Islamist groups," it said.

The report says the complaint was filed under  section 57 of the act, which has often been used against journalists and criminalises any information published on websites that "encourages dishonesty, offends anyone, or tarnishes the image of the state or any person".

Sikdar has worked as an investigative journalist for several Bangla dailies. In 2001, he was attacked following his write-ups on alleged war criminals for which he lost one leg and partial use of one hand, according to news reports.