19 March 2002
8 JOURNALISTS RECEIVE DEATH THREATS
In Bangladesh, at least eight journalists have been the targets of death threats in the last two weeks, Media Watch reports. On 5 March and 7 March, Mohammed Abu Taleb and ATM Mamunur Rashid, two journalists from the daily newspaper "Ittefaq," received death threats for articles they had written. Taleb, in particular, had reported on an attack involving a former opposition leader (now prime minister), says Media Watch. Other journalists threatened with death included Moktar Hossain of the daily "Bhorer Dak," Tareq Murtaza and another colleague of the daily "Manavzamin,"Bakhtiar Islam Munna, also with "Ittefaq," Tuhin Aronnaya of "Prothom Alo" and Emran Farooq Masum, reporter for "Jugantor." In the cases of Munna and Murtaza, they were targeted by members of the student wings of Bangladesh's two main political parties, Media Watch notes.
In response to the death threats, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) has warned the government that it will report the cases to the United Nations and other international organisations unless the attacks stop, reports the BBC. Speaking at the end of a week-long tour of the country, RSF's Asia Pacific head Vincent Brossel says many journalists, especially those outside the capital, Dhaka, face relentless pressure from criminal elements, local authorities and political activists.
RSF's visit follows the murder of journalist Harunur Rashid two weeks ago in Khulna, southwest Bangladesh. He had been investigating the activities of radical left-wing groups and organised crime networks in the region, and had written articles about links between the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party and illicit trafficking along the Indo-Bangladeshi border. Media Watch says 10 journalists have been killed in the region since 1994 [See IFEX "Communiqu%26#233;" #11-9]. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=4191">"Communiqué" #11-9].
For more information, email Media Watch: media@bdonline.com or see www.rsf.org.
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