& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

'Bangladesh most violent country for newsmen'

CPJ urges govt to probe threats, try killers

Staff Correspondent
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) yesterday tagged Bangladesh as the most violent country for newspersons in Asia in an investigation that also expressed deep concern at repression on them here.
After a weeklong fact-finding visit to Bangladesh, a four-member delegation of the New York-based media watchdog asked the government from a press conference at the Hotel Sonargaon to open investigations into threats to journalists and prosecute the killers.
"In Bangladesh journalists are
working increasingly under threat," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper from the US, who led the team of Abi Wright from the US, Iqbal Athas from Sri Lanka and Andreas Harsono from Indonesia. Listing savage attacks on journalists -from Tipu Sultan to Manik Saha, she said: "I can't imagine to take risk to continue my profession here as journalist. It takes real courage to be a journalist in Bangladesh."
Cooper said physical assaults and intimidation were almost commonplace, especiallyin rural areas wherejournalists are threatened, beaten severely, or murdered justforreporting.
She also expressed concern at the stabbing of eminent writer Humayun Azad inwhatshesaidwasaclearattackonfreedom ofwritingandexpression.
Wright took a swipe at the state-controlled BSS news agencyfor mass termi-nationofjournalistsonpoliticalgrounds.
"Thosewhotrytosilencejournalistsmust beheldaccountable,"theCPJemphasisedin astatement.
"Without justice ... the cycle ofviolence will continue, and so will Bangladesh's reputationasthemostviolentcountryinAsia forjournalists,"theorganisationsaid.
The CPJ said police must recognise the right of a journalist to cover public demonstration safely and called for investigations into beatings of several journalists covering the Dhaka University demonstration on March3against the attackonAzad,authorof over50books.
At least sevenjournalistshave beenkilled and dozens assaulted or threatened in Bangladesh since 1997 in reprisal for their work, the CPJ said in an account ofviolence against newspersons, intense in the southwest.
"Local journalists, who report on such topics as corruption or organised crime are frequently targeted by criminal gangs or underground groups," the statement says, adding prosecution is rare, even in some high-profilecases.
The delegates were under watch in Dhaka ofintelligence agencies. Harsono, an Indonesian journalist, said intelligence agentsonmotorbikesshadowedthedelega-tionalmosteverywhere.
The CPJ leaders met with ministers and politicians, including Leader of the OppositionSheikhHasina,butarequestfora meeting with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was not granted. They also met editors, reporters and photojournalists working for printandbroadcastmediainDhaka.
TheCPJputforwardseveralrecommen-dations, including timely action in the case against those charged with the 2001 beating ofTipu, formerUNB correspondent in Feni. TheprosecutionofallthosewhokilledManik Saha in Khulna and Shamsur Rahman in Jessore and assaulted Shafiul Huq Mithu in Pirojpur and Prabir Sikdar in Faridpur also figuresonthelistofrecommendations.
The CPJ called for an end to the use of sedition or anti-state charges to detain journalists, including Salah Uddin Shoaib Chowdhury, now in prison, and timely action considering the licence application of EkusheyTelevision.