The Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) have expressed deep concern over the attack and arson at the offices of the newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
In a joint statement on Friday, BFUJ President Obaidur Rahman Shaheen, Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury, DUJ President Md Shahidul Islam, and General Secretary Khurshid Alam condemned and protested the incident, stating that attacks on the media are unacceptable in any form.
It is a direct assault on press freedom and the people’s right to know.
“We believe that rule of law and democracy can never be established by throttling the media. The media was also throttled during the previous fascist government. If attacks on the media continue even after driving out the fascist government through the blood of hundreds of martyrs, what will the people have faith in?” the statement said.
Stating that such attacks are obstacles to healthy politics, the journalist leaders said that BFUJ and DUJ have been fighting for a free and independent media from the very beginning.
The leaders said, we believe this disgraceful attack on Prothom Alo and Daily Star was carried out to destabilise the country in a planned manner. In particular, we believe the attack on the editor of the English daily New Age, the widely respected Nurul Kabir, is part of a well-planned agenda by a specific quarter.
The leaders demanded legal action against those involved in the incident and security of the media and journalists to be ensured.
