Dhaka Correspondent, 30 September 2021
Crackdown has begun on the abusers of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of press. One of the most recent examples comes from a lawsuit Md. Bayezid Sheikh filed on 29 September 2021, at the Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court against a total of 47 individuals, including the editor-publisher and other officials of an online based newspaper called The Daily Nobojug, for making and publishing defamatory statements against the Prime Minister, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family, Bangladesh judiciary, judges and the Awami League. The case (CR-797/2021) was filed pursuant to Sections 500 and 501 of the Bangladesh Penal Code 1860. The Daily Nobojug, like some other media outlets, have now been party to a series of such lawsuits. It appears the government’s patience is running low against such media outlets as can be seen by the active engagement with lawsuits by the lower courts on similar issues.
Our court correspondent informs that 47 individuals were listed as accused in this criminal defamation case. – Esrat Rashid (36, Editor, The Daily Nobojug), Jony Joseph Costa (32, Assistant Editor, Daily Nobojug), Nurul Huda (29, Senior Assistant Editor, Daily Nobojug), Md Tofail Hossain (Senior Advisor, Daily Nobojug), Ali Amin (39, Publisher, Daily Nobojug), Peerzada Tanvir Ahmed (24), Mohammad Shahidul Islam Jaigirdar (36), Md. Abdul Razzak (28), Md. Masum Sajjad (32), Ariful Haque Arif, Mohammad Jakir Hossain (29), Md Razim Hossain (30), Shiplu Kumar Barmon (42), Musa Ahmed Jaigerder (31), Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Mukit Chowdhury (34, Joint Secretary, Bangladeshi Nationalist Youth Party, London Metropolitan Branch), Abu Sayed (25), Md. Al-Amin Kaisar (31), Md Maraz Miah (28), Md Shaim (20), Shahriar Md. Nafis Khan (32, Joint Secretary, London Metropolitan Juba Dal, UK BNP), Shamim Al Mamun (32), Ahsanul Kabir (35), Sultana Zebunnesa (43), Samiuzzaman Siddique (40), Md Sabbir Hossain (30, Editor, Portal Bangladesh), Md Zahirul Islam (33), Al Mahfuz (24), Md Obaidur Rahman Khan, Md. Arath Hossain Rony (29), Umma Kulsum Nargis Banu (39), Nurul Faruq Shaker (35), Mohammed Nizamul Haque (47). , Mohammad Fahidul Alam, Md Kanzid Hasan, Md Mijanur Rahaman (37), Mahtab Uddin (38), Md Shahidul Islam (38), Dildar Ali (39), Abdul Wahid Choudhury (43), Muminur Raja Chowdhury (40), Md Rezaul Islam (28) and Abu Bakar Siddique (36) amongst others.
Our court correspondent’s investigation reveals that on March 22 and May 28 this year, the Daily Nobojug published two articles titled “Al Jazeera Documentary, Mushtaq’s Death in Prison and Thoughts of Expatriates” and “Freedom of Speech in Bangladesh, Awami Fascism and Puppet Judiciary”. In both of these articles, highly critical and abusive comments were directed towards the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Government of Bangladesh, the Army and the National Intelligence Agency. Some of the comments were clearly full of intimidation, taunting, and even death threats.
Speaking to TheBDNews24.NET, the complainant of the case, Md. Bayezid Sheikh, angrily said – “Each of the accused has been carrying out various propaganda against Bangladesh for a long time. Although Bangladesh gained independence, it has not yet got rid of the sons of the Razakars. How can they have the audacity to speak against Bangabandhu or Sheikh Hasina? They have no right to stay in or return to Bangladesh.”
Government sources have been approached for comment without success. On the condition of anonymity, one government source confirmed that the Home Ministry is taking increasingly harder steps against the Bangladeshi citizens who are vilifying the nation and its name. Changes of law in citizenship nullification are being explored.
Following a review of the evidence filed by the complainant who is a Awami League supporter and grassroot activist, Chief Judicial Magistrates’ Cognizance Court’s Senior Judicial Magistrate Razib Hasan ordered the case documents and evidence to be sent to the Additional Superintendent of Police (PBI) of Dhaka district for investigation. The superintendent of police has been asked to submit an investigation report at the next hearing of the case on December 9, this year. Police sources have declined to make any comment when approached.
We have sought comments from the accused but we are yet to receive any response yet.
