The Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF) has strongly condemned and protested the filing of a criminal case against four journalists in Bogura, describing it as an attack on press freedom and freedom of expression.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, BMSF President and Secretary General expressed deep concern over a case filed under Sections 500, 501, 504 and 109 of the Penal Code against four media professionals.
The accused are Daily Agrajatra Pratidin Publisher and Editor , News Editor , Reporter and Bogura Correspondent .
According to the statement, the case was filed over allegations of publishing false, defamatory and misleading information relating to State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives .
The BMSF leaders criticised the court directive to record the complaint as a regular first information report (FIR) and demanded the immediate withdrawal of what they described as a malicious lawsuit.
"The absolute haste with which criminal sections of the Penal Code have been weaponised against media professionals in Bogura is a direct assault on press freedom," said BMSF President Enamul Kabir Rupom.
He said if there were objections regarding the published reports or social media content, the matter could have been addressed through the Press Council or through established corrective mechanisms rather than criminal proceedings.
"Using criminal cases to silence journalists is entirely unacceptable. We demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of this politically motivated case," he added.
BMSF Secretary General Khairuzzaman Kamal said reporting on a state minister's press conference or analysing political developments on social media falls within the legitimate scope of journalism.
"Fact-based reporting cannot be treated as a criminal offence. Filing cases against grassroots journalists by exercising political influence will create a climate of fear in regional and human rights journalism," he said.
He warned that continued harassment of journalists could trigger a broader movement by human rights journalists across the country in defence of press freedom and freedom of expression.
The organisation urged the local administration to ensure a fair investigation into the allegations and to guarantee the safety and security of the accused journalists.
BMSF also reiterated that it would continue to stand against any form of legal or political intimidation targeting journalists performing their professional duties.
