Drop ICT probe against Rupa, Babu

Five international human rights and press freedom organisations have urged the Bangladesh government to drop the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) investigation against detained journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu.

In a joint statement issued yesterday, Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Human Rights Watch urged the government to ensure journalists do not face criminal charges, particularly crimes against humanity, for their reporting.

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According to the statement, the ICT showed Rupa and Babu arrested in the case on May 14, 2026. The prosecution indicated that the allegations stem from their broadcast coverage of the May 2013 operation against Hefazat-e-Islam at Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar, claiming they spread misleading information about casualty figures.

The rights groups emphasised that protecting journalistic work, including editorial decisions on contested political events, is a fundamental aspect of freedom of expression. Criminalising such conduct as crimes against humanity lacks a legal foundation and creates a chilling effect on the media, they said.

The statement noted that Rupa, Babu, Ekattor TV journalist Shakil Ahmed, and Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamal Dutta have been in pre-trial detention since August and September 2024. They were arrested in connection with numerous murder cases filed over deaths during the July-August 2024 uprising that ousted the Awami League government.

While the High Court granted bail to Rupa and Ahmed in most of their cases on May 11, 2026, the Appellate Division later stayed the order.

The organisations expressed concern that the new ICT charges create a separate legal route to keep Rupa and Babu detained, potentially preventing their release even if they secure bail in the murder cases.

The groups urged the government to immediately release the four journalists and called for an independent review mechanism for ICT cases involving journalists.