In yet another unprecedented incident on Tuesday, on-duty journalists were barred from performing their professional duties, intimidated, and even forced into a magistrate’s courtroom — where they were briefly placed in the dock and threatened with imprisonment.
Witnesses said three journalists were recording footage of Amatullah Bushra, an accused in the BUET student Fardin Noor Parash murder case, as she came out of the courtroom of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jamshed Alam after a hearing in the morning.
At that moment, several lawyers — including two reportedly backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, Rezaul Haq Riaz and Akteruzzaman Dalim — obstructed the journalists from filming, even though such activity is lawful.
When the journalists explained that they were recording for professional purposes, the lawyers became aggressive and attempted to drag them inside the magistrate’s courtroom. The journalists insisted that they were filming outside the courtroom, and that taking photographs or videos of an accused person in a public space does not require court permission.
The lawyers then surrounded them in front of the magistrate’s courtroom. At one stage, lawyer Akteruzzaman Dalim — a Rokon of Jamaat’s Hatirjheel Police Station unit — snatched the mobile phone of one journalist and threatened plaintiff Nuruddin Rana, saying aggressively: “You brought these journalists here.”
Magistrate Hasib Ullah Piyash subsequently called the three journalists into his courtroom and ordered them to stand in the dock, asking them to identify themselves. After confirming their identities, he reportedly said, “You created chaos in front of the court. You will be sent to jail. No more discussion. Seize all their mobile phones.”
A short while later, the magistrate told them they would be pardoned and released if they offered an unconditional apology. The journalists complied and were allowed to leave.
Emerging from the courtroom, journalist Masud Rana told waiting reporters that a group of lawyers had created a mob situation to prevent them from doing their job.
“Then the judge — being overly enthusiastic — called us to the dock. After learning who we were, he said we would be jailed,” Rana said.
Another journalist, Ariful Islam, alleged that the lawyers attacked them and snatched one phone. “They forced us to go before the judge. Without giving us any chance to explain, the magistrate threatened to send us to jail. We had to apologise unconditionally despite committing no offence. It was deeply unfortunate,” he said.
Journalists strongly condemned and criticised the harassment of their on-duty colleagues. The Court Reporters Unity (CRU), an association of journalists covering the lower courts, demanded the removal of the magistrate and departmental action against him.
Meanwhile, lawyers Akteruzzaman Dalim and Rezaul Haq later attempted to play down their actions, describing the incident as a “misunderstanding” and “unexpected”.
Calling it an attack on press freedom, CRU President Liton Mahmud accused Jamaat-backed lawyers of creating a mob situation that disrupted the court’s atmosphere — footage of which, he said, is clearly visible in videos of the incident.
“Ignoring this, the concerned judge overreacted and instead called in the three journalists, threatening to send them to jail. Such behaviour is not expected from a judge. It is highly condemnable. I demand his removal and departmental action,” he said.
Mahmud added that the CRU would submit a written complaint to the Chief Justice over the matter.
According to the law, taking photographs or videos inside a courtroom is prohibited. However, there is no restriction on photographing or filming an accused person outside the courtroom, provided the accused is not a minor. It is also illegal to photograph a female victim in any case.
In Tuesday’s incident, the accused, Amatullah Bushra, is an adult woman — meaning that filming or photographing her outside the courtroom did not violate any law, a lawyer explained.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi confirmed that there is no legal restriction on taking photos or videos outside the courtroom — regardless of whether it is a lower or higher court.
