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MEDIA UNDER ATTACK IN BANGLADESH

PRESS RELEASE
After 5 days of attack on the office of Weekly Blitz newspaper by armed hooligans belong to ruling party in Bangladesh, members of law enforcing agencies are reluctant in taking any action, as some high ups in the government and police administration instructed the investigation officer not to 'harass' any of the accused in this case as they belong to the ruling party.

On February 22, 35-40 armed terrorists belonging to the ruling party, led by Ruhul Amin attacked the office of Blitz newspaper. They instructed the caretaker named Anwar of the commercial center named Skylark Point [where the Blitz office is located] to lock the outside gate and continued their notorious actions in the broad day light for hours in presence of members of law enforcing and various intelligence agencies. The CCTV of the building was also put switched off by the management of the building as the attackers were influential and notorious goons belonging to Bangladesh Awami League.

Despite lodging of a case more than 5 days back [Case No. 65, under section 143, 448, 323, 342, 384, 380, 427 and 506], members of law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh are showing extreme reluctance in arresting any of the attackers, mostly belonging to the ruling party, who attacked the office of Weekly Blitz on Sunday [February 22, 2009], physically assaulted the editor and other members, abused the female staffs and looted laptop and other valuables in a broad day light, in presence of One Shamim from DGFI [Directorate General of Forces Intelligence].

Members of law enforcing agencies were witnessing the incident silently as the attackers were mostly activists and members of the ruling party in Bangladesh.Others who were in the gang are identified as Ruhul Amin, Shintu, Liton, Yunus, Anwar, Siraj, Lavlu, Kajol etc. According to police sources, most of them were thugs belonging to the ruling party.

At 10am Sunday, local time, internationally-acclaimed journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, was attacked as he was working in the office of his newspaper, Weekly Blitz, by a gang of thugs belonging to Bangladesh's ruling Awami League. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is now under medical treatment for eye, neck, and other injuries those he suffered in the attack. The renewed violence marks the first against him since he was abducted by Bangladesh's dreaded Rapid Action Battalion in March 2008. It may be mentioned here that, the military backed interim regime withdrew police protection from the residence of the Blitz editor in May last year.

A large group of armed hooligans, led by one Shamim introducing himself to be an official of DGFI stormed Blitz premises and attacked newspaper staff until they found the editor. They locked the editor in a room and continued various forms of physical assaults thus abusing him to be a ‘Mossad Agent', ‘Israeli Agent' etc. Culprits are continuing to occupy the Blitz office.Meanwhile, one of the leaders of the attacker's gang named Ruhul Amin is continuing to give threats to the Weekly Blitz editors and other members of the newspaper on immediately withdrawing the case. In a phone call, Ruhul Amin said, 'I give you people only 24 hours time. Withdraw the case; otherwise our next target is Choudhury's residence.'Earlier a person named Advocate Shintu, claiming to be the advisor of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, phoned the Blitz editor and demanded TK. 500,000 [US$ 8,400 approximately] as extortion. Shintu also told the Blitz editor that, he is one of the decision makers helping Sheikh Hasina in appointing her cabinet colleagues.

Weekly Blitz tried to find the reason behind reluctance of police in taking any action against the culprits as to why the attackers are yet to be arrested. On condition of anonymity, a source in police said, 'We have already become captive in the grips of the political government and its cadres. We can watch crime, but cannot take actions. Because, if we take any action against those party activists, then we shall face various forms of departmental harassments and humiliations.'

An official of Weekly Blitz contacted some of the senior officials in Bangladesh Police, including the inspector general as well as Commission of Police [Dhaka] and informed them about lodging of the case on February 22, 2009. Copy of the FIR [First Information Report] was also sent to those officials with the appeal of initiating immediate investigation into the matter and arresting the culprits.

But, none of these senior officials are taking any action in this regard. It is learnt that, several influential leaders belong to the ruling party are continuing to call the police officers asking the reason of recording the case. They are also warning the police officers of severe consequence if any of the accused in the case are arrested or interrogated.When contacted, an officer on duty at Paltan Police Station told Weekly Blitz that, they have specific instruction of neither investigating the case nor arresting anyone as the accused are from the ruling party.Since installation of government led by Bangladesh Awami League, reign of terror is established throughout the country by musclemen and hooligans belonging to student's wing, youth wing, volunteer's wing and other pro-ruling party elements in Bangladesh.Weekly Blitz editor and other staffs of the newspaper have made an appeal to the media community in the country and in the world for their immediate help in this regard.

For further information on this incident, please call Mr. Sohail Choudhury, Executive Editor, Weekly Blitz, Cell: 880-1911-133614, or send email to: ediblitz [at] yahoo.com

Bangladesh peace advocate turns 44

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, internationally acclaimed award winning anti-jihadist journalist and peace advocate turns 44 on January 12.

Choudhury was arrested on November 29 2003 at Zia International Airport in Dhaka [Bangladesh] on his way to Tel Aviv for attending a peace conference. BNP led Islamist Coalition government brought sedition, treason and blasphemy charges against him and he was tortured and detained in Dhaka Central Jail for 17 months. It is learnt that a section of influential Islamist leaders having close link with the BNP led Coalition government alongwith a controversial Home Secretary named Omar Faruk, who was reportedly a member of the advisory council with Jamaat-e-Islami played key role in bringing this false charge against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

BNP led coalition government even denied to allow Choudhury to attend his mother's funeral on bail on parole.

Due to unrelenting effort by Dr. Richard L Benkin, a peace activist in United States and member of the US Congress Mark Steven Kirk [Rep], Choudhury was released on bail on April 10, 2005. Later US Congress passed a resolution [HR 64] demanding immediate dropping of the false charges as well as according security to this courageous Bangladeshi journalist as well as stopping all forms of intimidition tacktics on him.

But, in July 2006, office of Weekly Blitz [www.weeklyblitz.net], a newspaper edited by Choudhury was bombed by the members of Khatmey Nabuat Movement. Later in the same year, on October 5, members of cultural front of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Helal Khan and Babul Ahmed attacked the office of Choudhury, physically assaulted him and looted cash and valuables from the office. No legal action was taken against the culprits as they were sheltered by influential people in power.

Information Advisor in the millitary backed interim government in Bangladesh, Barrister Moinul Hussain tried to suffocate the voice of Weekly Blitz and listed Choudhury along with 1680 journalists and media personnel in Bangladesh as 'non journalist' and instructed the Press and Information Department [PID] to refrain from issuing Press Accreditation card to these journalists. Moinul Hussain even sent his man to the office of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury with the threat of harrassing him through the members of armed forces.

On March 18, 2008 members of Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] led by Captain Shafiq abducted Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury at gun point and looted cash and valuables from the office of Weekly Blitz. Despite numerous complaints, millitary controlled regime did not take any action against the members of RAB nor the looted cash and valuables had ever been returned. Furthermore, the same government withdrew police protection from the residence of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury ignoring the Resolution passed in the US Congress.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has received a number of international awards for his courageous stand against radical Islam. He is the first journalist in Bangladesh who forecasted rise of Islamist millitancy in madrassas. Choudhury's newspaper Weekly Blitz continues to confront radical Islam and Islamist millitancy.

This Bangladeshi peace advocate will turn 44 on January 12 2009. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is happily married to Shahnaj Choudhury Happy. The couple has two children Priyanka Choudhury and Hanzalah Choudhury.

Bangladesh Hero inspires US artiste

Dr. Richard L. Benkin

Sharon Sayegh is a painter living in a community of artists in New Jersey, USA. Like other artists, when something inspires her, she can best express that inspiration through her art. Right now, she is drawing that inspiration from Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. She first became aware of him when she read an article about his efforts in The Jewish Voice and Opinion, a newspaper that has been extremely supportive of Shoaib Choudhury. In 2007, its editor Susan Rosenbluth, informed two New Jersey mayors that Shoaib would be visiting the area. Mayor Michael Wildes of Engelwood and Mayor Eli Katz of Teaneck were so excited about the visit that they arranged to present Shoaib with special commendations from their city while he was in northern New Jersey.

Shoaib fascinated Sayegh, and so she made an effort to learn more about him.
Sayegh wrote that she “was very moved by the fact that he risks his life to stand up for what he believes in [an] effort to make peace and fight propaganda against Americans, Christians and Jews and Israel.” She was so inspired that she has begun a series of paintings entitled Brave Hearts; Warriors for Peace. The first piece in the series, shown here, is of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Sayegh said she was especially interested in “moderate Muslim voices.” Quite often, those Muslims who are touted as moderate in the United States turn out to be quite the opposite. Thus, she wanted to make Americans aware that there are real, moderate Muslims.

Sayegh also noted that this series is quite different from her other work and that there is some challenge in developing it artistically. But she added that Shoaib’s courage “keeps me working on this series with an urgency to complete it and show it.” Her second subject in the series is Ayan Hrsi Ali, with whom Shoaib shared the American Jewish Committee’s “Moral Courage Award” in 2006.
Sharon Sayegh recently co-founded a New Jersey art collective where she intends to first exhibit Brave Hearts; Warriors for Peace. She is also involved in a New York artists’ organization, the Contemporary Artist Network in NYC, and hopes that affiliation will enable her “to bring the work of these incredible people to as many peoples’ attention as possible through my paintings.” Sayegh has exhibited extensively in New Jersey. Her web site—part of the Highland Park, New Jersey artist community—is: http://www.highlandparkartists.org/sharon_sayegh.htm.

Press Under Attack in Bangladesh

The Suburban in its editorial wrote, "They are neither. They work alone, with no support, forging ahead to bring the truth into open. The International Press Freedom Awards that recognizes courage in journalism is an important event that brings the plight of these journalists to light. But it's not enough. They deserve encouragement and support because in dangerous situations, they champion everything we hold dear, and often take for granted."

Link to this article: http://www.globalpolitician.com/24656-bangladesh

Inside Associated Press’ Dhaka office

By: Judi McLeod

God only knows there are always those who would seize on what they envision as the vulnerability of a journalist an entire government bearing down on without relief, it is just difficult to take when that journalist is sanctioned by the office of the world famous AP office in Dhaka.

READ FULL ARTICLE ON www.weeklyblitz.net