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The Media Freedom Coalition, an international partnership of countries advocating for media freedom, has condemned the detention of Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman Shams and other recent incidents of ‘violence and intimidation of journalists’.
“[T]he Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) in Bangladesh, are concerned about recent reports of violence against and intimidation of journalists, including violence directed at reporters covering the Supreme Court elections, an assault on the brother of a London-based journalist for Al Jazeera, the attack of a Dhaka Tribune photojournalist, and the recent reported detention of a Prothom Alo journalist,” the group said in a statement on Thursday.
“We urge the authorities to investigate each of these instances promptly and impartially.”
The statement was signed by Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The US embassy in Dhaka tweeted out the statement.
Samsuzzaman Shams was detained in the early hours of Wednesday from his home in Savar following the publication of his Independence Day story by the Prothom Alo, which kicked up a social media storm.
His whereabouts were unknown for about 24 hours as law enforcers refused to confirm his detention.
Shams was taken to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka and is currently in court custody, according to Mohammad Anisur Rahman, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.