BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that the lower court has issued a ‘dictated’ order by granting a ‘conditional’ bail to Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam.
“Just think where has the judicial system gone? The law under which she (Rozina) was arrested is bailable. They’re applying an obsolete law enacted during the British period. But it has a bailable section,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, the BNP leader said, “After waiting for the instruction (from govt) and buying time, You’ve given the bail on the condition that she can’t go abroad and on a bond of Tk 5,000. Why can't understand she can't go abroad? We think this a dictated verdict.”
Meanwhile, Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam, who was sent to jail on May 18 in a case filed under the Official Secrets Act, walked out of Kashimpur Women's Central Jail in the afternoon.
Earlier in the day, a Dhaka court granted interim bail to Rozina until July 15 in the case. Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Baki Billah granted the bail on a bond of Tk 5,000. The court also asked her to submit her passport before the court.
Rozina had been detained at the Secretariat for over five hours before being handed over to police on May 17 as she allegedly clicked photos of documents related to government negotiations with pharma firms to buy Covid-19 vaccines, according to case documents.
Fakhrul said their party standing committee at their virtual meeting on Saturday strongly protested and condemned the arrest of Rozina on charge of stealing information after torturing her physically and mentally for five hours at the Secretariat.
He said their party policymakers think Rozina went through such harassments only for publishing news on the corruption of the Awami League government.
Fakhrul said their standing committee also thinks the health minister, secretary, and additional secretary and other officials concerned of the ministry should be immediately sacked and brought under the law.
The BNP leader said repressing journalists and shutting down media outlets and controlling the media are the old tradition of Awami League.
He said many journalists were subjected to repression and imprisonment during the rule of the current government while many of them were forced to leave the country.
The BNP leader said the ‘black’ laws like Official Secrets Act and Digital Security Act are destroying the freedom of press and squeezing the democratic system.
He demanded the annulment of all the ‘black and repressive’ laws and withdrawal of all the cases filed against journalists.
He said a strong unity of journalists is necessary for protecting the existence of the media and ensuring the freedom of press.
BNP to boycott by-polls to 4 seats
Fakhrul said their party will not take part in the upcoming by-polls to four vacant parliamentary seats.
“As the elections system has completely collapsed due to the subservient role of the incompetent Election Commission and the government’s interference, we’ve decided not to join the by-polls to Laxmipur-2, Sylhet-3, Dhaka-14 and Cumilla-5 seats,” he added.