JournalismPakistan.com | Published last month | IFJ Media Release
Join our WhatsApp channel
Journalist Monjurul Alam Panna was among 16 people taken into custody by police in Dhaka on August 28, with a case filed under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF), demand a thorough and impartial investigation, as well as a swift judicial process, to ensure that people are not unlawfully detained.
Panna was arrested while attending a discussion titled ‘Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh,’ at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity. It is reported that the event was organised by a group called Mancha 71. The arrests took place after the event was disrupted by a group of protestors who had allegedly issued threats on social media to stop the program. Police deployed to the scene detained Panna and other attendees, including a former Awami League minister, Abdul Latif Siddique, and Dhaka University law professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman.
Since May 2025, the interim government of Bangladesh has banned all activities of the Awami League – the party of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year after a student-led uprising. The interim cabinet, headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has advised that the ban on the party will remain in place until the trial of the party and its leadership over the deaths of hundreds of protesters under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, or ICT Act, is completed.
During a hearing at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on August 29, Panna was brought before the court wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. The investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Toufiq Hasan, submitted a petition to the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana, requesting the ongoing detention of those taken into custody while investigations into the gathering continued. Magistrate Sarah Farzana granted the plea and ordered all 16 into custody. The journalist was later transferred to Keraniganj Central Jail in Dhaka following the ruling. A number of journalists, human rights activists, and legal experts have condemned the charges and called for the release of the 16 individuals.
The South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024-25 documented that trust in Bangladesh’s media remains low after a decade of authoritarian rule, and with the country’s media industry also riven by political loyalties. Under the Hasina regime, journalists were routinely and frequently targeted for expressing critical views under the ATA, the Digital Security Act, and the Information and Communication Technology Act.
The BMSF said: “BMSF demands Monjurul Alam Panna’s immediate release and calls on the authorities to ensure justice.”
The IFJ said: “The interim government and the legislature must ensure that any investigations are conducted swiftly and transparently and to ensure that journalists are not unduly targeted or held in custody.”
Note: Pending further investigations by the IFJ, a statement on the recent death of journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar published on August 26 has been withdrawn.
October 30, 2025: India’s government has proposed strict new rules mandating the labelling of AI-generated and deepfake media to curb misinformation and ensure content authenticity on social platforms.
October 30, 2025: Vietnamese authorities seize BBC journalist’s passport amid interrogation, sparking outrage as Hanoi leader To Lam visits the UK. Rights groups urge her release.
October 29, 2025: In a historic first, a Bishkek court declares Kloop, Temirov Live, and their founders extremist, marking Kyrgyzstan’s sharpest assault on press freedom under President Japarov.
October 27, 2025: IFJ and over 300 global unions urge ASEAN to reject the Myanmar junta’s sham 2025 election, calling it an illegal attempt to legitimize military rule.
October 23, 2025: IFJ and NUJP condemn the killing of Filipino broadcaster Noel Bellen Samar in Albay, urging swift justice and stronger protections for journalists in the Philippines.
October 17, 2025: Afghan media worker Abdul Zahir Safi was killed in Kabul, the second journalist slain in two days amid rising Afghanistan-Pakistan border tensions.
October 16, 2025: Afghan journalist Abdul Ghafoor Abed was killed and another was injured while covering Taliban-Pakistan border clashes, prompting the IFJ to demand protection for media.
September 30, 2025: Indonesia restores CNN journalist’s access after revoking it over questions on Prabowo’s free meal programme that sickened 6,000 children, sparking press freedom concerns.
October 31, 2025 CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025 The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025 PSL franchise fees lag far behind IPL's USD 18.5B valuation as Pakistan Cricket Board's bureaucratic grip stifles growth. Hard numbers expose a stark reality.
October 30, 2025 NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
October 30, 2025 CDEPS and CPJ condemn the arrest of 7TV’s Maimouna Ndour Faye and other journalists in a late October crackdown on Senegalese media over interviews with a wanted politician.