Editors’ Council condemns case against Anis Alamgir
The Editors’ Council on Monday strongly condemned the filing of a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against journalist Anis Alamgir, alleging that he was summoned to the Detective Branch (DB) office without any specific allegation.
In a statement, Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud said Anis Alamgir was called to the DB office on Sunday without any allegation, detained there, and shown arrested the following day after a case was filed against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Such actions, the statement said, revive the memories of state repression against journalists during past authoritarian regimes.
The Editors’ Council mentioned that similar practices were seen during the tenure of the Awami League government, when false cases, harassment and arbitrary arrests of journalists were common, adding that the current incident appears to be a repetition of that regrettable reality.
Strongly condemning the incident, the council said that if there are specific allegations against any journalist, those must be dealt with strictly under the existing laws and due legal process.
“Summoning a journalist to the DB office without allegations, detaining him and later filing a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act to justify the arrest is unacceptable,” the statement said.
The Editors’ Council also said that since the fall of Hasina following the mass uprising on August 5, 2024, many journalists have been named in false murder cases, with several still in jail.
It recalled that the council had earlier demanded the withdrawal of such false cases. Although the government’s law adviser had promised action against false cases and harassment, no steps have yet been taken, the statement added.
The Editors’ Council demanded the immediate withdrawal of all baseless cases.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed journalist Anis Alamgir on a five-day remand in the case.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order after police produced him before the court with a seven-day remand prayer.
Source: UNB
