Bangladesh tribunal orders 3 journalists held until trial in 2024 uprising case

Tribunal orders detention

A special tribunal in Bangladesh's capital on Monday ordered authorities to keep three journalists jailed until their trial in a case involving the 2024 mass uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to lawyers involved in the proceedings.

The tribunal identified the journalists as Mozammel Babu, editor-in-chief of private Ekattor Television; Farzana Rupa, the channel's principal correspondent; and Shyamal Dutta, editor of the daily Bhorer Kagoj and former general secretary of the National Press Club in Dhaka. The judge fixed October 25 for the next court proceedings and asked investigators to submit their findings against the three, as reported by the Associated Press, Daily Excelsior, and WTOP.

Prosecutors allege that the journalists incited the suppression of student demonstrators during the uprising. They claim that the journalists asked Hasina provocative questions at a press conference on July 14, 2024, which led her to make disparaging remarks about the demonstrators before launching a bloody crackdown that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The specific details of this allegation have been carried by multiple outlets, though the journalists' defense has not been detailed in the available reports.

Background and political context

The three journalists have been in custody for years following Hasina's ouster, facing various charges including murder related to the July-August 2024 uprising. They were arrested during an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who later handed over power to a new government in February.

Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024, was sentenced to death in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. The Associated Press and Daily Excelsior report that Hasina has been in India since August 5, 2024, and has said she would return to Bangladesh in December. WTOP adds that both the Yunus-led government and the administration of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman requested India to extradite Hasina, but India refused.

Criticism from human rights groups and families

Global human rights groups have criticized the jailing of the journalists and the denial of bail, urging the government to drop the charges and stop criminalizing news reporting. The families of the journalists have complained that they were held illegally.

Kunal Majumder, coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the case "outrageous and deeply troubling," as quoted by the Associated Press, Daily Excelsior, and WTOP. The quote underscores concerns among press freedom advocates about the treatment of journalists in connection with the uprising.