IPI calls on Bangladesh govt to drop charges against Rozina Islam

The global network of the Interntional Press Institute (IPI) has condemned what it called 'the Bangladesh government’s continued harassment of journalist Rozina Islam'. The authorities must immediately drop all charges against her and respect the right of journalists to report on topics of public interest, the network said.

In a press statement, IPI said, "On 23 January 23, over seven months after a final police report found that Islam should be cleared of charges related to her reporting on Bangladesh’s purchase of Covid-19 vaccines due to lack of evidence, the deputy secretary of the country’s health ministry, Shibbir Ahmed Osman, filed a petition rejecting the report and demanding the court reopen the investigation. His petition was immediately accepted by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka."

Terming Rozina Islam, as a journalist with the leading Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo, known for her investigative reporting on corruption in the health sector during the pandemic, it stated that she had been arrested on 17 May 2021, following a visit to the health ministry where officials claimed that she took pictures with her mobile phone of documents related to Bangladesh’s Covid-19 vaccine purchases. The IPI statement that that before Rizina Islam was formally detained, she had been held for six hours in the health ministry office where she reportedly suffered physical and verbal assault. Police also confiscated her phone, passport, and other personal belongings, it said.

"The arrest of the award-winning journalist caused major backlash from national and international organizations, as well as civil society, and she was released on bail on 23 May 23 2021. A year later, on 3 July 2022, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted a final report on her case, requesting Islam’s acquittal, as no evidence was found to support the allegations against her," the IPI statement said, adding that she had been "charged with the theft and photographing of sensitive state documents under the Penal Code and the draconian 1923 Official Secrets Act, charges which leave her facing up to 14 years in prison or even the death penalty."

“IPI urges the Bangladeshi government to drop the disproportionate charges against Rozina Islam”, IPI Head of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “The years-long legal proceedings and harassment against her by the Ministry of Health have a chilling effect on investigative reporting in Bangladesh, and this case illustrates the broader challenges independent media faces in the country. Journalists who expose government corruption continue to be at risk, with the authorities using archaic legislation to intimidate and silence them.”

The press statement went on to say that Rozina Islam and her family have faced intense harassment, including monitoring of her financial transactions. The Ministry of Health has also targetted her online by discrediting and harassing her with smear campaigns.

"Press freedom in Bangladesh has been under increasing pressure in recent years, and journalists in the country face constant physical attacks and threats, legal harassment and arrests, as well as censorship and surveillance. IPI documented at least 30 press freedom violations in the country between April and September 2022," said the statement.