CPJ, Amnesty urge Bangladesh to drop ICT charges against journalists Rupa and Babu

Highlights: 

• CPJ, Amnesty seek withdrawal of ICT charges
• Rights groups warn case threatens press freedom
• Journalists accused over Shapla Chattar coverage
• Coalition also calls for release of detained journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Amnesty International have urged the Bangladesh authorities to immediately withdraw crimes against humanity charges against Ekattor Television journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu, saying they should not face prosecution for their journalism.

They made these calls after prosecutors at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) submitted a formal charge sheet naming the two journalists and 39 others, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in connection with the crackdown on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Dhaka's Shapla Chattar in May 2013.

CPJ Asia-Pacific Programme Coordinator Kunal Majumder said charging the two journalists for carrying out their professional duties was unacceptable.

"Charging journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu with crimes against humanity for doing their work is simply unacceptable. Authorities must drop the charges and break the cycle of partisan political vendettas against the press," he said.

CPJ also warned that, if convicted, the journalists could face the death penalty. It added that the ICT case could allow authorities to keep them in detention even if they secure bail in other cases.

Amnesty International, in a statement published on 21 May and reiterated in a post on X today (27 July), said journalists must not be targeted for opinions that others disagree with or for their perceived political affiliations.

The organisation called for the ICT charges against Rupa and Babu to be withdrawn immediately.

According to a CPJ press release, ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam alleged that Rupa, acting on Babu's instructions, produced a documentary claiming that no one had been killed during the Shapla Chattar operation, with the intention of misleading the public. Investigators have reported 58 deaths across four districts linked to the operation.

Earlier, on 15 July, a coalition of international press freedom and human rights organisations called on the Bangladesh government to end the ICT investigation into the two journalists, arguing that they should not face criminal prosecution for their reporting.

In a joint statement, the organisations expressed concern over the ICT investigation into Rupa and Babu in connection with their broadcast coverage of the 5–6 May 2013 Shapla Chattar operation.

The statement said prosecutors had indicated that the investigation centred on coverage of the operation, including a current affairs programme presented by Rupa that allegedly spread misleading information about casualty figures and contributed to crimes against humanity.

The organisations argued that such allegations have no legal basis and warned that criminalising editorial decisions would have a chilling effect on journalism in Bangladesh.

According to the statement, Rupa and Babu were shown arrested in the ICT case on 14 May 2026. It added that, at the time of publication, their lawyers had not received any evidence or charge sheet relating to the allegations.

The coalition also noted that Rupa, Babu, Rupa's husband and fellow Ekattor TV journalist Shakil Ahmed, and Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamal Dutta have remained in pre-trial detention since August and September 2024 in connection with multiple murder cases linked to the July–August 2024 uprising.

It said no charge sheets had been filed in those cases and questioned how journalists' reporting could be characterised as murder.

The organisations further noted that although the High Court granted bail to Rupa and Ahmed in most of the cases on 11 May 2026, the Appellate Division later stayed that order. They argued that the ICT proceedings create a separate legal avenue that could keep Rupa and Babu in custody regardless of bail decisions in the murder cases.

The coalition said the ICT proceedings are inconsistent with Bangladesh's obligations under Articles 15 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protect freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.

The organisations called on the government to ensure that the ICT investigation does not formally accuse Rupa and Babu solely on the basis of their journalism, establish an independent and impartial review mechanism for ICT cases involving journalists, and immediately release Rupa, Babu, Shakil Ahmed and Shyamal Dutta from cases in which they are detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

The joint statement was signed by Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch and several other international organisations.