Editors' Council demands release of journo Rezanur 

The Editors' Council on Saturday expressed deep concern over the arrest and imprisonment of `Dainik Agrayatra Pratidin' Acting Editor Md Rezanur Islam in a case filed over a news report involving State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, calling the incident a threat to press freedom and freedom of expression.

In a statement, the council strongly protested the arrest, saying the incident contradicts the BNP’s election manifesto and its 31-point state reform agenda, both of which pledge to uphold media freedom and the right to free expression.

The Editors’ Council said there are existing legal and institutional mechanisms in the country to address grievances over any news report, regardless of the complainant’s position in the state. It noted that aggrieved individuals can seek a remedy through the press council or pursue legal action under existing laws.

However, the council expressed concern that in the current case, one journalist had been arrested and sent to jail over a case filed by another journalist.

It said similar incidents of lawsuits, arrests and harassment of journalists over published reports had occurred during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, and warned that the latest incident marked a troubling continuation of that trend.

According to the statement, the practice of filing criminal cases against journalists and sending them to jail over news reports poses a serious threat to independent journalism and freedom of expression and could have a negative impact on the independence of newspapers and media professionals.�"UNB