Quazi Mostaque Ahmed:

The false case and attempted murder against three journalists, including the general secretary of the Sreepur Press Club in Gazipur, has sparked a storm of anger, protest and condemnation in the journalist community.

In protest of this heinous incident, the Bangladesh Independent Reporters Council (BIRC) Central Committee held a large human chain program in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Friday (November 7) morning. Organized in the presence of more than a hundred journalists from different districts of the country, the human chain pledged to unite in a movement to protect the safety and dignity of journalists.

The speakers at the ‘Journalists’ Pen Cannot Be Stopped’ human chain said, “Today, there is an attempt to silence journalists who are responsible for publishing the truth through false cases and harassment. This is a naked attack on the freedom of the media and a knife to the throat of independent journalism.”

They said that the case filed against Tipu Sultan, General Secretary of Gazipur Press Club, Joint Secretary Ashraful Alam Sarkar and Office Secretary Farhad Alam is completely false, conspiratorial and motivated.

They commented that filing such harassing cases without any investigation is a deep threat to the journalist community.

The speakers also said that this culture of filing false cases against journalists must be stopped immediately. Otherwise, the journalist community will not remain silent—they will launch a tougher movement.

On October 30, when a certain Shahabuddin went to the Sreepur Sub-Registry Office in Gazipur to gather news about an incident related to the land registry, some influential circles systematically implicated the three journalists in the incident.

Later, Shahabuddin's daughter filed a case against 14 people at the Sreepur Police Station, including the names of the three journalists mentioned above.

The security, independence and professional honor of journalists have been seriously questioned in this incident.

The human chain was attended by Md. Riyadul Jamal, Founding President, Bangladesh Independent Reporters Council (BIRC) and Editor, Daily Jugantor Bangladesh, Quazi Mostaq Ahmed, Assistant General Secretary (Central Committee) BIRC and Publisher and Editor, Daily Jugantor Pratidin and Daily Joypurhat Pratidin. Md. Shahjahan Bashar, Vice President, BIRC and Editor, Daily Janata Samaj; Senior Staff Reporter, Daily Mandhak Pratidin, Mozammel Haque, Vice President, BIRC and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Daily Mandhak Pratidin, Masum Billah, General Secretary, Daily Sangbad Diganta, Zahid Hasan, Deputy Office Secretary, BIRC

In addition, journalist leaders from different parts of the country expressed their solidarity.

Gazipur District Journalists' Unity Council President Abul Kashem, General Secretary Rafiqul Islam and Sreepur Press Club President Abdul Malek said in a joint statement—

This case has severely damaged the freedom of journalism. If the false case is not withdrawn immediately, a strong movement will be launched across the country, including Gazipur.”

The Bangladesh Independent Reporters Council (BIRC) announced after the human chain – “A larger and stronger movement will be launched in the coming days against heinous acts like filing false cases against journalists.

The pen of journalists cannot be stopped by intimidation—this is the commitment of the entire journalist community.”