POBNEWS24, Dhaka Feb 25, 2025 : Journalists in Dhaka have been facing threats one after another, hampering independent journalism. On Tuesday afternoon, Noman, the coordinator of the student movement against discrimination at the airport police station, and two others went to the Indian news agency UNI office in Sector 7 of Uttara. The office was locked at the time. From there, they called Mir Afroz Zaman, a Correspondent working at UNI, and threatened him with various threats and threatened to lock his office if he did not meet them within an hour. In this situation, Mir Afroz Zaman went to the Uttara West police station after 2 hours and made a general diary. Diary number-2377.
Police said they are working to catch the criminals. But since August 5, normal activities have been disrupted in most police stations in Bangladesh. Many policemen have not yet joined work.
Meanwhile, the threat made to journalist Mir Afroz Zaman by the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement has drawn strong reactions among journalists in Bangladesh, with many commenting that it is a gross interference in independent journalism.
The Dhaka Union of Journalists, a major organization for the rights of journalists in Dhaka, said in a statement that “such threats are creating a major obstacle for journalists to perform their professional duties independently, which is unexpected.”
Journalist leaders urged law enforcement agencies to conduct a proper investigation into the incident and bring the culprits to justice.
The Indian Media Correspondents’ Association (IMCAB) working in Dhaka issued a similar statement, expressing strong condemnation of the incident. In a statement, the organization’s president and general secretary said, “Those who threatened Mir Afroz Zaman must be brought to justice immediately. In addition, journalists who have been arrested without any charges must also be released.”
It is learnt that Zaman is unable to sit in the office due to fear. The police have also expressed their concern. It seems that journalists do not have the right to “freedom of speech”.
