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Bangladesh Editors' Council has called for the withdrawl of false and harassment cases filed against journalists across the country, as per a statement on behalf of the Editors' Council, its President Nurul Kabir and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud.
The statement noted that since August 5, 2024, numerous false murder cases and many other harassing cases have been filed against journalists in different parts of the country due to which several journalists are continue to face harassment and are being forced to appear regularly before the courts. The statement noted that this has disrupted their normal professional activities and undermined the independence of the media. "If there are specific and evidence-based allegations against any journalist, those must certainly be resolved through the existing laws and a fair judicial process. The Editors' Council believes that, in the interest of justice, proper investigation of allegations and due legal procedures must be ensured. However, harassing and politically motivated cases are not acceptable under any circumstances", it added. "In this regard, the Editors' Council had repeatedly urged the interim government to withdraw the false and motivated cases and to take effective measures to stop the harassment of journalists. The government had also assured that the cases would be reviewed and that steps would be taken to withdraw false and harassing cases. Unfortunately, no meaningful progress has been observed in this matter", the statement said. In its statement, the Editors' Council strongly called upon the newly elected government to give the highest priority to this issue and to take immediate steps to withdraw the false and harassing cases filed against journalists. "Ensuring media freedom and professional security is a fundamental commitment of a democratic state -- this expectation is once again reiterated", the statement mentioned. (ANI)
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