Bangla scribe killed, PEC demands fair probe

Geneva: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and
rights body, condemns the killing of Bangladeshi journalist Golam
Rabbani Nadim (45), who becomes the 26th media person to be killed
this year till date. It also demands a fair probe to book the culprits
and punish them under the law.

Local media reported that Nadim was physically attacked by some
supporters of a local Awami League party leader on 14 June evening at
Jamalpur locality and he succumbed to injuries at Mymensingh medical
college hospital the next day. Associated with a Dhaka-based news
portal (Banglanews24.com) and a news channel (Ekattor TV), Nadim was
seemingly targeted for a news item.

“Journalists across the world enjoy the right to report in media
outlets. If the report is not factual, one can go to the court. But
none is allowed to physically attack a scribe for his reporting” said
Blaise Lempen, president of PEC
(https://pressemblem.ch/pec-news.shtml), adding that Awami League
chief and Bangla Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should take personal
note about the brutal incident to nab all the culprits.

PEC’s south Asia representative Nava Thakuria informs that the Bangla
police have already arrested four persons suspecting their involvement
with the crime. Nadim is the second Bangla journalist (after Ashiqul
Islam of Brahmanbaria) killed in 2023. Bangladesh witnessed the murder
of three scribes (Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem and
Abdul Bari) last year.  India lost Shashikant Warishe on 7 Feb last
and four journalists (Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini, Juned Khan
Pathan and SK Mahato) to assailants in 2022.