Editors Council Demands Release of Arrested Journalist Following State Minister Report

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The Editors’ Council has expressed deep concern and issued a stern protest following the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Md. Rezanur Islam, acting editor of the *Dainik Agrayatra Pratidin*. Islam was detained in connection with a legal case filed over a report concerning State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam.

In a formal statement released Saturday, Council President Nurul Kabir and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud demanded Islam’s immediate release. The leadership emphasized that the arrest contradicts the commitments toward media freedom and the right to expression as outlined in the BNP’s election manifesto and its 31-point state reform program.

The council argued that if an individual is aggrieved by a published report, established institutional and legal avenues exist to seek redress. They noted that an aggrieved party may file a complaint with the Press Council or pursue litigation through conventional legal channels. The council expressed particular alarm that this incident involved one journalist initiating a criminal case against another, leading to imprisonment.

Recalling the patterns of harassment, litigation, and arrests of journalists witnessed during the previous Awami League administration, the Editors’ Council warned that this incident signals a troubling continuation of those practices. They asserted that the frequent use of criminal law to suppress journalism poses a significant threat to free speech and the broader media landscape in Bangladesh.

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The council further cautioned that the incident in Bogura will negatively impact the independence of news organizations and their staff. They highlighted that given Bangladesh’s current standing at 152nd in the World Press Freedom Index, such actions serve only to accelerate the decline of media freedom, further damaging the nation’s international reputation.

Concluding the statement, the Editors’ Council urged all parties to move away from using the criminal justice system to intimidate journalists. Instead, they advocated for the proper utilization of existing institutional frameworks, specifically the Press Council, to resolve disputes regarding media content.