International press freedom and human rights organisations have urged Bangladesh government to ensure journalists do not face criminal charges, specifically crimes against humanity, for their professional reporting.
The call follows the deepening of an International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) investigation into detained journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu.
Farzana Rupa, a former chief reporter and presenter at the privately owned Ekattor TV, and Mozammel Babu, the channel’s founder and former editor-in-chief, were shown arrested by the ICT on 14 May 2026.
The case is linked to the broadcast coverage of a May 2013 security operation against a rally by the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar.
Prosecutors allege that a current-affairs programme presented by Rupa spread “misleading information” regarding contested casualty figures, which they suggest contributed to crimes against humanity.
Lawyers representing the journalists stated they have not yet received evidence or formal charge sheets.
The signatory organisations – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ARTICLE 19, and CIVICUS – expressed concern that prosecuting editorial decisions as international crimes lacks legal foundation and creates a “chilling effect” on the media.
They argued that the ICT proceedings violate Bangladesh’s obligations under Articles 15 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The groups also highlighted the continued pre-trial detention of Rupa, Babu, and two other journalists, Shakil Ahmed (Rupa’s husband and fellow Ekattor TV journalist) and Shyamal Dutta (editor of Bhorer Kagoj).
All four have been held since August and September 2024 in connection with numerous murder cases arising from the uprising that toppled the former Awami League government.
Although the High Court granted Rupa and Ahmed bail in most cases on 11 May 2026, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has since stayed that order. The organisations noted that the new ICT track effectively locks the journalists into continued detention regardless of bail decisions in the murder cases.
The joint statement urged the government to establish an independent review mechanism to examine ICT cases involving journalists and to immediately release those detained solely for exercising their human rights.
The signatories reminded the administration that these steps would align with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s manifesto commitment to end the persecution of journalists. They called for an end to the practice of “case-stacking” and mass First Information Reports (FIRs) against media workers across the country.
