Journalist Salim Samad Passes Away
Investigative journalist Salim Samad has died after battling cancer for a long time; he was 74 years old.
He passed away at around 11:30am on Sunday at a hospital in Dhanmondi, said Mainul Hasan Sohel, General Secretary of the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Salim Samad was arrested on November 29, 2002, on charges of sedition. Before his death, he had said that he was physically tortured during interrogation in custody. He was released from prison after about fifty days at that time.
In a Facebook post on October 7, Salim Samad said that he had been forced to leave the country in 2004. After returning six years later, he had been residing in the country.
Following his death, writer Mohiuddin Ahmed wrote on Facebook, “Our friend Salim Samad has left us. I have not seen a braver journalist than him. May his soul rest in peace.”
Born in Dhaka in 1952, Salim Samad studied at Shaheen School. He completed his graduation from the then Jagannath College in 1976. About one and a half decades later, in 1994, he completed his post-graduation from Colorado State University in the United States.
In between, in 1991, he received the Washington-based Ashoka Fellowship on environment and development. Under the Ford Foundation fellowship program, he studied at the Advocacy Institute in Washington, DC in 1996.
Salim Samad’s writings were published in Time magazine, India Today, Outlook, Al Jazeera, Herald magazine, South Asia magazine, The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Asian Age, Weekly Dhaka Courier and International Affairs Review.
Salim Samad had more than 35 years of experience in investigative journalism in South Asia. He published numerous reports on conflict, security, forced migration, Islamic jihad, good governance, electoral democracy and media freedom. During his career, he received many honors and international recognitions.
Salim Samad worked as a media adviser for various international organizations, including USAID, UNICEF, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Dubai Cares.
