Nine journalists were wounded when a gang of men attacked them with machetes. These journalists were working at bdnews24.com when they were attacked last Monday in broad day light in the capital city of Dhaka.

 

Hundreds of journalists in Bangladesh are protesting this attack.


The Asian Human Rights Commission issued a statement Tuesday, accusing the government of not being able to "protect anyone."

The rights group said it was the latest in a series of attacks on journalists in the last month.  There are allegations that both state and non-state agents target journalists "almost regularly" and that the attacks amount to a "serious blow against the freedom of expression in Bangladesh."

 

This is the time to speak up to protect free media in Bangladesh!

 

Bangladesh is moving forward. However, some ruthless people are forcing it backward.

 

Two leading journalists, Sagar Sarwar and his wife, Meherun Runi, were stabbed to death on Feb. 11, 2012, at their apartment in Dhaka. Sarwar was a news editor of the private TV station Massranga and Runi was a reporter at another station, ATN Bangla. No suspects have been arrested so far.

 

References:

·      Read more about it here and here.

·      Read Reporters without Border findings on government’s media suppression policies.

·      Also read here & here from Asian Human Rights about why Bangladesh State cannot deny freedom of expression by suspending media telecast.

 

Action Items:

 

1) Call a journalist organization in Bangladesh.

·      Here is the list of phone numbers to choose from or use this list.

·      Talking Points: Tell them that you are calling from the U.S. You appreciate their work and stand for the media freedom.

 

2) Email and call Reporters Without Borders to thank them for their March 19th report on Bangladesh press freedom. Also ask them what they can do to pressurize Bangladeshi government to protect media.

 

Contact:
Asia Desk at their International office of Reporters Without Borders

asie@rsf.org

 

In Washington DC: Delphine Halgand
E-mail : dcdesk@rsf.org Tel : +1 202-256-5613

 

3) Email and Call the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ask them if they have any plan to put pressure on the Bangladeshi government. Tell them that you are a Bangladeshi American and are concerned about the suppression of media.

 

Write to them through their web form here.

 

4) Call your local press club in your city requesting them to do either of the following:

·      Write a letter to Bangladeshi Ambassador asking them about what is the Bangladeshi government doing to arrest the killers and to protect journalists from torture. In Germany journalists have taken similar steps.

·      Adopt a resolution of support for Bangladeshi journalists and send it to the Bangladeshi journalist associations

·      For follow up, forward the Reporters without Borders article to the person you are talking to.

 

5) Post on your facebook account the following links

·      Reporters without Border findings on government’s media suppression policies

·      Asian Human Rights about Bangladesh - State cannot deny freedom of expression by suspending media telecast.

 

6) Forward this email to your friends and relatives.