Mahmudur assaulted in London
Sunday, 14 March 2010
LONDON, Mar 13 (bdnews24.com): Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, who faces a raft of defamation cases in Bangladesh for publishing a report on alleged corruption by prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son, was reportedly assaulted in London on Friday.
Rahman claimed the assailants were supporters of Awami League, though their identities could not be confirmed yet.
Witnesses said he came under attack by "youths" on Friday evening after leaving a meeting of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in London. The attackers reportedly fled the scene after local BNP leaders arrived.
Rahman was the energy adviser to Khaleda Zia when she was prime minister during the BNP-led four party alliance government.
The BNP leaders held a press conference after the incident. Senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who was also visiting London, condemned the attack.
Rahman said the Awami League administration is ruling the country as a "fascist government". It is also torturing journalists, he alleged.
He made his position clear by saying that he was not a BNP official. "I only served as an adviser to the BNP government."
Rahman, acting editor of the Bangla language daily Amar Desh, faces more than 20 defamation suits after his newspaper published a report earlier this year on corruption allegations against prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed and energy adviser Towfik-e-Elahi Chowdhury.
The government placed a bar on Rahman's travelling abroad, until the High Court ruled against it. He is scheduled to return home on Saturday.
Rahman claimed the assailants were supporters of Awami League, though their identities could not be confirmed yet.
Witnesses said he came under attack by "youths" on Friday evening after leaving a meeting of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in London. The attackers reportedly fled the scene after local BNP leaders arrived.
Rahman was the energy adviser to Khaleda Zia when she was prime minister during the BNP-led four party alliance government.
The BNP leaders held a press conference after the incident. Senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who was also visiting London, condemned the attack.
Rahman said the Awami League administration is ruling the country as a "fascist government". It is also torturing journalists, he alleged.
He made his position clear by saying that he was not a BNP official. "I only served as an adviser to the BNP government."
Rahman, acting editor of the Bangla language daily Amar Desh, faces more than 20 defamation suits after his newspaper published a report earlier this year on corruption allegations against prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed and energy adviser Towfik-e-Elahi Chowdhury.
The government placed a bar on Rahman's travelling abroad, until the High Court ruled against it. He is scheduled to return home on Saturday.