Journo leaders worried over over threat to shut down Star

Journalist leaders yesterday expressed concern over threats to shut down leading English newspaper The Daily Star and arrest of its editor.

The threats were issued from the close circle of the government's power centre, leaders of a fraction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) said in a joint statement.

Their reaction came a day after two defamation cases were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam in Khulna and Laxmipur for, what the plaintiffs claimed, publishing reports based on unverified information given by the DGFI, which allegedly tarnished the image of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina.

BFUJ acting president Shamsuddin Harun, its Secretary General M Abdullah, and DUJ President Abdul Hai Sikdar and, its General Secretary Jahangir Alam Prodhan issued the statement.

"We think that the threat to the newspaper and demand for the editor's arrest over almost a decade old controversial issue are made with ill intentions and is an attempt to create panic in the media. We strongly condemn and protest it," the statement read.

Referring to detention of journalists, closure of media houses and killing of journalist couple Sagar-Runi, the leaders said the freedom of the press is threatened by "the government's repression and control".

The new threat to shut down The Daily Star and arrest its editor exposed the government's "anti-media attitude".

They also condemned the arrest of Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman and former Jatiya Press Club president Shawkat Mahmud. They called upon the government to reopen the media houses it closed earlier.

At a television talk show on February 3, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam made an introspective comment about a lapse in editorial judgement in publishing a few reports in 2007 that the newspaper could not independently verify.