Ctg journo union condemns attacks on Prothom Alo, Daily Star offices, demands action
They said, “Attacks on media outlets and journalists, under the pretext of news coverage or differences of opinion, were unacceptable.”
The Chattogram Metropolitan Journalist Union (CMUJ) has condemned the attacks, vandalism and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka, calling for a fair investigation and punishment of those responsible.
In a statement signed by CMUJ Joint Secretary Rafiqul Islam Selim today (20 December), the organisation also protested the harassment of Nurul Kabir, editor of the English daily New Age and president of the Editors' Council of Bangladesh.
CMUJ President Mohammad Shahnawaz and General Secretary Saleh Noman said such incidents were a direct blow to independent journalism, freedom of expression and democratic values.
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They said, "Attacks on media outlets and journalists, under the pretext of news coverage or differences of opinion, were unacceptable."
The statement alleged that the attacks on the two newspaper offices in Dhaka's Karwan Bazar were carried out "to divert attention from the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi."
Referring to past incidents in Chattogram, the organisation said media offices, including those of Amar Desh, Naya Diganta, Sangram and Karnafuli, had also faced attacks, vandalism and looting, but no effective trials had taken place.
"The lack of justice for those incidents has paved the way for today's audacity," the statement reads.
The CMUJ said "no society or state could remain sustainable by stifling the voice of the media," and urged the authorities to take swift and effective action.
It demanded a fair investigation into the attacks and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as the harassment of Nurul Kabir, and called for the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved.
The organisation also called for action against those responsible for past attacks on media offices in Chattogram and urged the government to take effective measures to ensure the security of media institutions and journalists across the country.
