Senior journalist Saleem Samad has died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.
His close friend, prominent columnist and writer Mohiuddin Ahmed, confirmed the news on Sunday.
According to family members, he had cancer, which was diagnosed at stage 4 just a few days ago. He was not informed of the diagnosis. The disease had already spread throughout his body and to his brain, they said.
His namaz-e-janaza will be held at 2:30pm on Sunday at the Jatiya Press Club premises.
Saleem was renowned for his investigative reporting. In recognition of his courageous journalism, he was selected as an Ashoka Fellow in 1990. He also wrote for internationally acclaimed Time magazine, as well as India’s Outlook and India Today.
He worked extensively on investigative reports and research related to environment and development, and was associated with multiple media outlets, research institutions, and human rights organisations both at home and abroad.
Born on 13 November 1952, Saleem was arrested and imprisoned for a long period in connection with a sedition case filed in 2002 by the then government.
In recent years, Saleem Samad regularly wrote columns for Dhaka Tribune, Shuddhashar, International Affairs Review, and other publications.
In a Facebook post, his friend Mohiuddin wrote, “No one likes to hear or share news of death. Yet death is the only truth of life. I visited him Friday morning and felt he was nearing the end. Just five minutes ago I received the news that he is no more.
My dear friend Saleem Samad has left us. I have never seen a journalist as courageous as him. May his soul rest in peace.”
