Journalists' personal safety has now become the overriding concern: Mahfuz Anam
Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said that concerns over journalists’ personal safety have now overshadowed demands for freedom of expression, drawing on his experience of the attack on The Daily Star.
He raised the issue of journalists’ insecurity while speaking at a protest rally held on Monday at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, organised in protest against the attacks and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as the harassment of Editors’ Council President and New Age editor Nurul Kabir.
On Thursday night, the country’s leading news outlet Prothom Alo fell victim to an organised terrorist attack. Its office at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka was attacked, vandalised, set on fire, and looted, reducing the premises to ashes. This was followed by an attack on The Daily Star, where its office was vandalised, torched, and looted. Upon receiving the news and going to the scene, Nurul Kabir was harassed.
In protest of these attacks, a joint protest rally titled “Bangladesh Under Mob Violence” was organised by the Editors’ Council, the association of newspaper editors, and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB).
Recalling how journalists were trapped inside the Daily Star building after it was set on fire and how their lives were put at risk, Mahfuz Anam said at least 26–27 journalists were trapped on the rooftop, and the fire service was prevented from reaching them during the attack.
He believes the attackers thereby demonstrated an intent to kill The Daily Star employees. He said, “We have seen on social media that they (the attackers) are saying that journalists of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo must be hunted down and killed in their homes.”
Calling the incident “brutal,” Mahfuz Anam said it has brought the issue of journalists’ personal safety to the forefront and urged journalists to unite around the demand for protection of their lives.
Leaders of various political parties, professional bodies, business organisations, and representatives of civil society also spoke at the protest rally. After the event, participants formed a human chain on the road in front of Sonargaon Hotel. People from different walks of life joined the programme to express solidarity with Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.