TIB Expresses Concern Over the Abduction of Bangladesh Times Journalists
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed condemnation and concern over the incident of journalists of the media outlet “Bangladesh Times” being picked up. This condemnation was expressed at a press conference titled “Pre-Election Observation: The Role of the Election Commission” on Sunday (8 February) morning.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “This incident is alarming. It is a threat to independent journalism.”
He further said, “Even if the journalists were released later, such incidents are condemnable. If there was any objection to the news, it could have been resolved through due process. But the manner in which they were picked up is not only an ominous signal for the Bangladesh Times newspaper, but for the entire media.”
Iftekharuzzaman said, “Earlier, we saw their inactivity in the cases of Prothom Alo and the Daily Star. There is command and control of the army. We do not believe that such activities took place without the permission of the highest authority. We saw the media being very nicely described as the mirror of the nation regarding concerns over two seats—is this an example of that? We are condemning this incident, considering it a threat to free journalism.”
