BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Friday protested the closure of the printing press of the daily Inqilab by the government and the arrest of its three journalists, reports UNB.
She made the protest in a statement signed by party assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Jony and expressed grave concern over the police raid on its office terming the daily as one of the most age-old newspapers of Bangladesh.
"The freedom of expression and press is recognised as democratic rights in civilised democratic society. All rights of the people have been snatched in a fascist way during the tenure of the incumbent government," Khaleda said.
Earlier, the Awami League government shut down the country's popular newspaper 'Dainik Amar Desh' and kept its editor Mahmudur Rahman detained. Besides, private satellite television channels 'Channel One' 'Diganta TV' and 'Islamic TV' were also shutdown, she noted.
"Such injustice and nefarious activities to repress the opposition parties and dissident views is never good for democracy," the BNP chief said.
Khaleda demanded immediate reopening of all the closed media houses, including 'Inqilab' and unconditional release of all the arrested journalists.
Another reports adds: BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir protested the incident in a statement signed by party assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Jony.
Mirza Fakhrul strongly condemned and protested the shutdown of the printing press of the largely circulated 'Dainik Inqilab' by law-enforcing agencies and the arrest of its news editor Rabiul Ullah Rabi, deputy chief reporter Rafiq Mohammad, crime reporter Ahmed Atik and senior reporter Afzal Bari, the statement said.
The present government sealed off the printing press of Dainik Inqilab and arrested the four journalists, including its news editor, for publishing facts against 'bad activities' of the government, he added.
The government is snatching the rights of dissident views, freedom of press and journalists, and basic rights of people after assuming power to hide its misdeeds, the BNP spokesperson said.
The BNP leader demanded immediate reopening of the press and release of the detained journalists terming the incident as the downright repression on the press and journalists.
Mirza Fakhrul also demanded reopening of all the media houses 'illegally' closed by the government earlier.
Earlier on Thursday evening, police arrested the four journalists of the Inqilab and sealed off its printing press conducting a raid on its office on the capital's RK Mission Road.
BFUJ
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Friday condemned Thursday's police raid on the Daily Inqilab office and the arrest of its journalists.
Expressing resentment at the incident, BFUJ president Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, its general secretary Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, and DUJ president Omar Faruk and its general secretary Shaban Mahmud, in a joint statement, demanded immediate release of the arrested journalists.
They also urged the Inqilab authorities to follow responsible journalism and refrain from journalism which goes against the country's independence and sovereignty.
