Case against Rozina transferred to DB amid journalists’ protests

A cross-section of people continued nationwide protests against the arrest and alleged torture of Daily Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam inside the health ministry on Monday while a hearing seeking her bail was scheduled today.

The demonstrators demanded immediate unconditional release of the 42-year-old award-winning journalist, who unearthed scams and corruptions in the health sector during the pandemic, and the withdrawal of the ‘fabricated case’ filed under the Penal Code and the colonial Official Secrets Act 2023.

Rozina’a journalist colleagues from separate rallies called for launching a judicial inquiry into how the journalist was confined and tortured at the health ministry for five hours before she was handed over to the Shahbagh police station later on Monday in the case filed on charge of spying, theft and wrongful communication of information.

A health ministry deputy secretary on Monday night filed a case against Rozina for lifting secret documents related to Covid vaccine procurement with two vaccine-producing countries, was produced in the court in the case and sent to Kashimpur jail. The case filed with Shahbagh police station was transferred to the detective  branch of police on Wednesday.

A metropolitan magistrate, Mohammad Jashim, on Tuesday set today for the hearing of her bail petition.

Meanwhile, journalist leaders staged a protest in front of the Dhaka Reporters Unit in the capital on Wednesday and announced that they would hold a rally during the bail hearing and would march towards the court.

Journalists across the country took to the streets demanding her release and the withdrawal of the ‘fabricated case’ filed against her under the colonial law while academics, rights groups and professional bodies as well as the United Nations and international free press campaigners condemned the harassment during her professional duties at the secretariat.

In a protest rally held in front of the DRU, Syed Abdal Ahmed, the former secretary at the National Press Club, said that the contribution of Rozina to journalism was outstanding and a journalist should look for any document that would throw light on an issue in the service of people.

The DRU president Morsalin Nomani said the corrupt people were trying to put journalists and the government at loggerheads to reap benefits.

He said the ministry formed their own committee to justify their action but the journalists wanted to institute a judicial inquiry committee.

The Dhaka Union of Journalists secretary general Sajjad Alam Khan called on all journalists in Dhaka to unite on Thursday morning when her bail hearing would be held.

The Crime Reporters Association, Bangladesh secretary Alauddin Arif called the Anti-Corruption Commission to launch an inquiry into the graft allegations at the health ministry.

Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters’ Forum general secretary Shamim Ahmed told the protest rally that the movement would continue until she would be released and her case would be disposed.

Broadcast Journalist Centre, Photo Journalists Association, and other journalist forums in Dhaka formed separate human chains in Dhaka.  

Workers Party of Bangladesh, a partner of the Awami League-led alliance, at a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Wednesday, demanded unconditional release of journalist Rozina.

The party’s president Rashed Khan Menon said that the officials of the health ministry responsible for harassing Rozina should be punished.

The human chain was followed by a procession.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka and demanded the immediate release of Rozina.

The journalists in Barishal, Jashore, Pabna, Sirajganj, Gazipur,  Jhalakathi, Feni, among others, formed a human chain and strongly condemned the confinement and harassment of Rozina for over five hours and subsequent harassment.

New Age correspondent in Jashore reported that journalists in the district demanded immediate release of Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam and also the release of journalists Ruhul Amin Gazi, Abu Tayeb, among others.

Workers Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) district unit president Iqbal Kabir Jahid and leaders of different political parties joined the demonstration.

In Gazipur, New Age correspondent reported that journalists and politicians held a demonstration in front of the house of the district deputy commissioner and announced that the journalists would not attend any event of the district health department.

The Dhaka University Teachers Association in a statement on Wednesday condemned the harassment and the arrest of the investigative journalist.

It said that since the health ministry accused the journalist of capturing photos of secret documents, the most pertinent question would be how secret documents were kept in a place where people wait to meet the health secretary.

If anyone does anything wrong, it should be solved through a legal process, but confining and harassing a journalist for hours even after that person has fallen sick is nothing but an expression of authoritarianism, said the release signed by DUTA president professor Md Rahmat Ullah and general secretary professor Nizamul Hoque Bhuiyan.

University Teachers Network in their statement said that the main ‘crime’ of Rozina was that she wrote several stories exposing graft in the health sector and exposed the involvement of some groups that are now set to punish her.

They placed four demands including her immediate unconditional release and punishment for the perpetrators who confined and tortured her, besides abolishing the laws that contradict freedom of the press including Official Secrets Act 1923 and Digital Security Act 2018.

They also demanded that a ‘whitepaper’ should be published on corruption in the health ministry.

Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association, Nari Pakkha, Ain O Salish Kendra, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust and Manusher Jonno Foundation on Wednesday said they were thinking of filing a case against those who confined journalist Rozina Islam and tortured her.

The rights bodies said that the way journalist Rozina was harassed is tantamount to sexual assault and criminal offence.

They said that such confinement is anti-constitutional and it is inhuman to send her to Shahbagh police station after she had fallen sick.

Demanding withdrawal of the case, BNWLA president and lawyer Salma Ali said the authorities have to investigate the incident neutrally through the National Human Rights Commission.

BLAST’s Sara Hossain also demanded that a neutral and independent probe body should be formed to investigate the incident of harassment saying that the probe body formed by authorities is not a neutral one.

She also questioned the use of the Official Secrets Act and said the obsolete act should be challenged.

United States’ Jefferson Fellow journalists of Bangladesh in a statement strongly protested at the assault, confinement and subsequent arrest of journalist Rozina and demanded her immediate release.

Jefferson Fellow journalists in Bangladesh include Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, New Age editor Nurul Kabir, senior journalists Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Shahed Siddique and M Azizur Rahman.

The Jefferson Fellows also demanded annulling the controversial Digital Security Act and stop harassing journalists for the betterment of democracy and ensure justice.

Chattogram Television Journalists Association in their statement said the corrupt employees did not stop after harassing her, they were now busy spreading misinformation.

Road transport and bridges minister and Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday urged journalists to be patient and play a ‘responsible role’ over journalist Rozina Islam’s harassment at the secretariat.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/138202/case-against-rozina-transferred-to-db-amid-journalists-protests