Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman released from jail
Prothom Alo journalist in Savar Samsuzzaman has been released from jail on bail.
Samsuzzaman, who is the Prothom Alo staff correspondent in Savar, walked out of jail at 6:22pm on Monday.
After his release, Samsuzzaman told the newspersons waiting in front of the jail that he is grateful to the people of the country because they have stood by him.
“It is a matter of joy for me that my office, the journalist community of the country, and people from my university had always stood by me,” he added.
Ealier, Samsuzzaman secured bail on a bond of Tk 20,000 in a case filed with Ramna police station under the Digital Security Act.
He has been granted bail until filing police report.
Samsuzzaman filed a petition for bail for the second time at the chief metropolitan magistrate court (CMM) in Dhaka on Monday.
Samsuzzaman was brought to the CMM court on 30 March. Later Ramna police station appealed for sending him to the jail.
Samsuzzaman's lawyer Proshanta Karmakar filed a petition with the court seeking bail.
After hearing, the court ordered to send him to jail rejecting his bail prayer.
On the day, Samsuzzaman was taken to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj from the court.
On the following day, he was taken to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur from the Dhaka Central Jail. On Saturday, he was again shifted to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj. Samsuzzaman faces another lawsuit filed with Tejgaon police station under the Digital Security Act.
A team of around 14-15 people went to the house of Samsuzzaman near Jahangirnagar University in Savar at around 4:00 am on 29 March. They identified themselves as members of police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), searched the room of Samsuzzaman and seized his laptop, two mobile phones, and a portable hard disk. Later, they picked Samsuzzaman up from his residence.
Around 20 hours after picking the journalist up from his residence, a case was filed before filing of the case at Ramna police station in the capital under Digital Security Act on 31 March night.
Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman was made the chief accused in the case filed by lawyer Abdul Malek (Mashiur Malek). He got six weeks anticipatory bail from the High Court in the case on Sunday.
A ‘graphic card’ was prepared with contents from a report of Prothom Alo Online for sharing in its Facebook page on 26 March. The card used a quote of day labourer Zakir Hossain. It used a photograph of a child, Sabuj, who was waiting outside of the closed gate of National Mausoleum in Savar.
The original report had a quote of the child as well. Both the quotes of the child and day labourer Zakir were separately placed in the original report. But Prothom Alo took down the ‘graphics card’ quickly from its Facebook page apprehending it would give birth to confusion among the readers. A note of correction was also published below the online report.
In connection with this, a Jubo League leader Syed Md. Golam Kibria filed a case with Tejgaon police station in Dhaka at 2:15 am on Wednesday. Jubo League is the youth wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League. He was also a member of the central committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party.