Bangladeshi journalist arrested on charges of COVID on bail | Coronavirus pandemic News

The arrest of Rozina Islam in response to the government’s COVID response led to an outcry of corruption.

A prominent female Bangladeshi journalist, in response to the government’s COVID-19 pandemic, reported official corruption after she was given parole after the detainees sparked national day protests and caused international condemnation.

Rozina Islam, 42, a researcher at the country’s largest Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo, was arrested by police on Monday in accordance with the Official Secrets Act, which carries a potential death penalty. He was later accused of stealing documents from the Ministry of Health.

Islam was given bail on Sunday after handing over his passport and ordering him to pay a 5,000 taka bail, the chief metropolitan magistrate of the capital Dhaka, his lawyer told reporters.

Prosecutor Abdullah Abu’s lawyer did not oppose the bail request, and both sides told reporters that Magistrate Baki Billah had mentioned in his order that the media had a supporting role in democracy.

“We did not oppose his provisional bail until he presented his passport,” Abu Dhaka’s Attorney General Abdullah told AFP.

He said the sending of his passport should prevent him from leaving the country, adding that he was expected to release the arrest of Islam on Sunday.

Journalists ’unions and advocacy groups said Islam was arrested for its stories; among others, they complained that medical equipment was urgently needed at Daca airport for months and that a bribe was offered to recruit doctors.

Tough reports of corruption

Islam was arrested on suspicion of unauthorized use of a mobile phone while the government waited in the room of an official involved in the process of buying coronavirus vaccines to take pictures, according to case documents seen by The Associated Press.

Some harsh reports from the Ministry of Health and others about the corruption of Islam have drawn attention to the millions of dollars earmarked for the acquisition of health equipment to deal with the pandemic.

The arrest sparked national protests by thousands of journalists and political and civil rights activists. Rights groups say media repression has intensified in the coronavirus crisis.

Bangladesh has reported nearly 800,000 coronavirus infections and more than 12,300 deaths so far, but experts say the actual number is likely to be much higher.

The secretary general of the Bangladesh National Press Club has welcomed the court’s bail decision, but has called for the case against him to be dropped. “They have asked him to present his passport, which is the limit of his freedom of movement,” Elias Khan told AFP.

“We have called for the immediate withdrawal of all cases against him … Bangladeshi journalists are still working in an atmosphere of fear.”

On Thursday AK Foreign Minister Abdul Momen deplored the arrest of Bangladesh and said Islam would receive justice.

According to his family, Islam spent more than five hours on Monday in the room of a personal assistant to the secretary of the Ministry of Health. The sister said Islam was physically and mentally persecuted before it was handed over to the police.

“Instead of locking up critics, promoting the free press should be key to the government’s strategy to strengthen health services to deal with the pandemic,” said Brad Adams, director of Human Rights Watch.

According to the New York guard, at least 247 journalists have been attacked, harassed and intimidated by state officials and others linked to the government in 2020.

Under the Digital Security Act, more than 900 cases were filed, nearly 1,000 people were indicted and 353 arrested, many of them journalists, he said.