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CPJ urges Bangladesh to release journalist
Committee to Protect Journalists sent the following
letter today to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of
Bangladesh, calling for the immediate and unconditional
release of Editor and publisher Salah Uddin Shoaib
Choudhury, who is currently in jail on sedition charges.
June 29, 2004
TO:
Her
Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Via facsimile: 011-880-1-811-3244
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the
ongoing imprisonment of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury,
the editor and publisher of the tabloid weekly Blitz,
who was jailed on sedition charges. We call for his
immediate and unconditional release.
Choudhury was arrested seven months ago today, on
November 29, 2003, at the Zia International Airport in
the capital, Dhaka, while on his way to Israel to
participate in a conference with the Hebrew Writers
Association. Airport security officers detained
Choudhury on suspicion of espionage, and he was charged
with passport violations, according to local press
reports. Bangladesh has no formal relations with Israel,
and it is illegal for citizens to travel there.
Three months later, on February 24, Choudhury was
formally charged with sedition, according to his family.
As evidence, Abdul Harif, the officer in charge of
airport security, cited articles written by Choudhury
about the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh that
allegedly showed Bangladesh in a critical light.
The passport violation charges against Choudhury were
dropped on June 1 because he had already served the
mandated prison sentence during his ongoing detention,
according to his family. Courts have rejected the
family's continuous appeals for Choudhury's release on
bail.
Choudhury is being held in the Dhaka Central Jail. He
has been denied medical treatment for eye problems that
may result in glaucoma, despite two rulings from the
High Court this spring ordering that he be allowed to
see a doctor, according to his family.
Earlier this year, Choudhury's family sent Your
Excellency a letter asking you to help resolve his case
and to order his release. In response, they received a
copy of a letter from your office to the home minister's
office dated June 7. In the letter, your office
requested that the necessary steps be taken to expedite
Choudhury's case, according to Choudhury's family.
However, Choudhury should not have been charged with
sedition in the first place. Journalists should never be
jailed for their work, even when they write about
sensitive or unpopular issues, as did Choudhury. CPJ
urges Your Excellency to do everything within your power
to ensure that he is released from custody and can
continue his work.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter
and await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director |
