Her Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka
People@quot;s Republic of Bangladesh
Fax: (011.8802) 811-3244
Your Excellency:
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) is disappointed that your government has not taken seriously the perpetually hazardous state of affairs for journalists in Bangladesh, officially one of the world@quot;s most dangerous places for reporters, with eight killed in the country during the past seven years.
The list of incidents in Bangladesh has become a regular part of the worldwide round-up of crimes against the media. And, since our last writing in January, things have gone from bad to worse.
Most recently, street demonstrations were the scene of political violence. Police beat press photographer M.A. Manik of the Bengali-language newspaper Grammer Kagoj on June 5 in the town of Jessore. Police later attacked a local protest of the Manik incident, injuring five more reporters in the process. This occurred one day after police injured five photographers, Mamun Abedin, Abu Taher Khokon, Ali Hossain Mintu, Dainik Janata and Akhter Hossain, who were covering a June 4 protest march in Dhaka.
Another troubling incident is that of reporter Sumi Khan of Weekly 2000 , who was beaten and knifed by three attackers. Witnesses say three policemen stood by and watched the assault. Police have not lived up to their promise to investigate the case. Khan is reportedly in great pain as she recovers from the attack.
A month before, Khan met with representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The CPJ has recorded scores of similar attacks on journalists in Bangladesh who were brutalized or intimidated for reporting on crime and corruption.
A recent Oscar-nominated film documentary, My Architect , showcased the magnificent buildings designed by American architect, Louis Kahn, including the breathtaking capital complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As viewers of the film, we found it hard to believe that a country that welcomed the transformational creativity of Kahn could also routinely brutalize those people who seek freedom of expression.
Sometimes it is the threat of violence that troubles journalists. On May 25, for example, at least nine journalists in the northwestern district of Dinajpur received death threats via mail from a suspected Islamic militant organization. The threatening letters “”termed us as evil and said that we should put down our pens or our wives would become widows,”” according to the One World South Asia web site.
To make amends for these vicious and repeated attacks on journalists throughout Bangladesh, we ask the following:
The OPC appeals to Your Excellency@quot;s administration to lead your government and your people away from the attitude that journalists must be dealt with through violence. International laws entitle them to report the news without fear of prosecution or intimidation.
We ask that you hold political party members and other extremists accountable for their actions and,
if necessary, prosecute those who use violence as a means of expressing political opposition.
We ask that you start the education process by holding open discussions about how to deal with opposing viewpoints. Fundamentally, this seems to be the source of people@quot;s hatred and fear. Too many know only violence as a response to ideas that run counter to their own. We believe your leadership can guide people towards dialogue, and away from anger and brutality.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We await your response.
Respectfully yours,
Bill Collins
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee