INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
him with fractures in his back, three broken ribs and a machete wound on his head.The journalist, Ayub Meahzi, believes he was targeted for
reporting on alleged local government ties to a criminal group.The attack in Chattogram, also known as Chittagong, in south-east Bangladesh,
has compounded fears of a further deterioration in press freedom in the country, which already languishes near the bottom of the annual
police in Dhaka to face charges of producing false news in March
newspaper, Prothom Alo, for a seemingly innocuous report that went viral, on the subject of high food prices and living costs.The reporter,
Sheikh Hasina.Journalists and press freedom groups say the country has suffered since the introduction in 2018 of the Digital Security Act
(DSA), a cybercrimes law the government says is aimed at stopping propaganda and extremist material online but which has led to dozens of
arrests, as well as intimidation and violence against journalists.A Bangladeshi journalist working for an online news publication said the
said.Media workers say they have avoided critical stories on the ruling party or its projects, but the attack on Prothom Alo, which involved
protests and intimidation by supporters of the ruling Awami League party, has emphasised how journalists can face repercussions for a range
wished to remain anonymous.They added that it was not only fear of facing a lawsuit under the DSA, but also the threats and intimidation
journalists and their families face
These police arrests happen mostly in the middle of the night, and in some cases they [the journalists] are taken for a few days, and no one
Photograph: Syed Mahamudur Rahman/NurPhoto/GettyIn 2021, the writer Mushtaq Ahmed died in custody after suddenly falling ill, nine months
was arrested alongside Ahmed, said he had been tortured and that Ahmed had also spoken about receiving electric shocks.According to the
Digital Security Act Tracker, run by the Centre for Governance Studies in Bangladesh, there have been more than 600 cases filed against
journalists using the law
Almost half of all cases filed under the law between October 2018 and August 2022 were by people affiliated with a political party or
some looking to move abroad and others hoping that a change, perhaps through elections, could ease pressure on them
In the meantime, they avoid covering sensitive topics and tone down the language they use in reporting.Students stage a torchlight rally on
1 April demanding the release of Shamsuzzaman Shams
if they upset the wrong people
He said the country as a whole was suffering because journalists were scared of doing investigative work on issues such as
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
