Leaders of the journalist community have said Prothom Alo’s senior correspondent Rozina Islam was tortured and harassed only to convey a message to the journalists not to dare report about discrepancies in the health ministry. The incident itself proved that it was premeditated.
The journalists made these remarks while speaking at a protest organised by the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) on Thursday.
The journalist leaders further said at the event conducted by ERF general secretary SM Rashidul Islam that everyone should be united so that such incidents do not occur in future. If journalists cannot hold their ground, independent journalism will collapse eventually.
Former ERF president Zakaria Kajol said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman once said at a programme in 1972, try to be humans, not bureaucrat. However, the bureaucrats seemed to be becoming demons instead of humans nowadays.
Zakaria Kajol further said the people’s representatives protect bureaucrats and bureaucrats control the people’s representatives.
Former general secretary of ERF, Ziaur Rahman, said the people who were exposed by the investigative reports of Rozina Islam, conspired against her. He also demanded the withdrawal of the draconian laws obstructing the freedom of press.
Another former ERF general secretary Sazzadur Rahman said everyone else can be controlled once Prothom Alo and Rozina Islam are controlled and so that was the case this time. He urged everyone to unify for the sake of the existence of journalists.
Senior journalist Nazrul Islam Mithu said Rozina was framed by some corrupt officials in this incident. People involved in the harassment and torture of Rozina Islam should be brought to book.
ERF Sharmeen Rinvy said, “I demand the withdrawal of the case against Rozina Islam and her immediate release. She also demanded for the repeal of the Official Secret Act. She said their movement will continue until Rozina is released.”
Former presidents of ERF - Monwar Hossain, Shamsul Haque Zahid, Sultan Mahmud and Khawaja Mainuddin also addressed the programme.
Four economists expressed solidarity at the programme. They are - Hossain Zillur Rahman, a former advisor to the caretaker government, Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Ahsan H Mansoor, executive director of the Policy Research Institute (PRI) and Selim Raihan, executive director of South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM).