Withdraw case against 2 editors

The Committee for the Protection of Fundamental Rights yesterday demanded immediate withdrawal of a case filed recently against bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Jagonews24.com Acting Editor Mohiuddin Sarker and six others under the Digital Security Act.

In a statement, the rights body also demanded that the government refrain from harassing or arresting them in the controversial law.

Mominul Islam Bhasani, president of Baliadangi upazila unit of Swechchasebak League, filed the case on April 17 against the two senior journalists for "deliberately publishing false and defamatory news".

Two Facebook users named Shawan Amin and Rahim Shuvo were also accused in the case filed with Baliadangi Police Station.

In the case statement, Mominul said the authorities recovered 68 sacks of rice, meant to be sold among the low-income people at Tk 10 per kg, in the upazila's Palashbari on April 9.

The next day, Upazila Food Controller Nikhil Chandra Barman filed a case with the same police station accusing six people, including local rice dealer Amirul Islam, his brother Jamirul Islam and wife Kulsum Akhter.

"I have no connection with the accused and they are not my relatives. But the two news portals ran two stories linking me to the misappropriation and claiming that the accused were my relatives… I asked their local correspondents to run a rejoinder, which they did not," Mominul said.

He further said one of his brothers -- Aminul Islam, not Amirul, -- is the chairman of Boro Palashbari Union Parishad.

He said the accused tarnished his image and that of his party and defamed him by spreading false and fabricated information.

Committee for the Protection of Fundamental Rights, in its statement, said journalists' contribution to conveying news to people risking their lives in this difficult time is commendable.

Sadly, the newsmen have to face various types of harassment, assault, intimidation and cases under the Digital Security Act if they cover corruption incident. Yet, the government assured of taking stringent measures in case of corruption in humanitarian aid programmes, said the statement.

The rights body believes that the importance of freedom of thought and expression, and universally recognised freedom of the media, are greatly enhanced during the period of disaster.

So, any control over press freedom during the coronavirus pandemic will weaken the state's efforts to deal with the disaster, it added.