Bail eludes journo Anis Alamgir

Journalist Anis Alamgir has spent over two months behind bars, caught in a web of legal cases filed shortly after he was summoned for questioning by the Detective Branch (DB).

Hours after his detention, a lawsuit was lodged against him accusing him of "conspiracy to destabilise the state", while a separate case by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) charges him with illegal accumulation of assets.

Despite repeated petitions for bail, all efforts have failed, leaving him imprisoned-a move his wife Shahnaz Chowdhury and colleagues say is a direct consequence of his independent journalism and outspoken commentary on contemporary politics.

"Syeda Rizwana Hasan, [former] advisor to the interim government, had claimed no journalist was arrested for free speech. So why was Anis Alamgir detained? "He was arrested for speaking freely. Is he a terrorist, or has he incited violence? What led to his summoning and arrest?" she asked. On the night of Dec 14, detectives took Anis in for questioning. Later that night, Aryan Ahmed filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against him and three others-including actress Meher Afroz Shaon, fashion model Maria Kispotta, and presenter Imtu Ratish-accusing them of plotting to destabilise the state and promoting a banned organisation called the July Revolutionary Alliance.    �"bdnews24