Bangladesh tribunal orders 3 journalists held until trial in 2024 uprising case

Dhaka, Bangladesh — A special tribunal in Bangladesh's capital has ordered authorities to keep three journalists locked up until their trial in connection with a 2024 uprising that saw former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ousted from power, lawyers revealed.

The journalists involved are Mozammel Babu, editor-in-chief of private Ekattor Television, Farzana Rupa, the principal correspondent for Ekattor Television, and Shyamal Dutta, editor of daily Bhorer Kagoj and a former general secretary of the National Press Club in Dhaka.

According to prosecutors, the trio incited the suppression of student demonstrators during the uprising by asking Hasina tough questions at a press conference on July 14, 2024. Her subsequent disparaging remarks about the demonstrators prompted a violent crackdown that resulted in hundreds of deaths.

The tribunal fixed October 25 for the next court proceedings and instructed investigators to submit their findings against the journalists. Human rights groups have condemned the detention and bail denial, urging the government to drop the charges and halt the criminalization of journalism.

Kunal Majumder, CPJ's Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator, expressed deep concern, stating that "launching a crimes-against-humanity case against journalists for simply asking questions at a press conference is outrageous and deeply troubling. Editorial decisions may be partisan or ethically questionable, but they cannot be criminalized. Criminalizing editorial judgment sets a dangerous precedent and undermines Bangladesh's reputation as a democracy."

The journalists have been in custody for years, facing charges including murder related to the uprising that occurred between July and August 2024. They were arrested during an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who handed over power in February to a new administration.