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January 2, 2006
Bangladesh: Islamists Threaten 5 Journalists With Death
The Daily Star reports that five senior journalists from the district of Kishoreganj (red in map) have been threatened with death by Islamist terror group, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The president and the secretary of Kishoreganj Press Club, and also three editors for local daily papers were threatened in a letter, for having portrayed JMB negatively in publications. This was sent by post to Ruhul Kuddous Selim, president of the Press Club.
The letter, written by a "JMB commander", said there were 1500 JMB cadres in the district of Kishoreganj. It further stated that JMB will "establish its rule" in Kishoreganj within a month. JMB aims to create an Islamic sharia-governed state, replacing the current democratic system.
The threats against journalists should be taken seriously - on 27 December a few days ago, Reporters Without Borders stated that at least 55 journalists and 10 publications were threatened with death by JMB in Bangladesh, in the period from September to December 2005.
On 22 December 2005, the advisory editor of Amar Desh newspaper was told his newspaper would be targeted next. Today's news of threats against Kishoreganj Press Club makes it the fifth press club to be recently threatened.
In September, many of the journalists threatened were Hindus. At least 12 of these were threatened for writing about Muslims while not being of the faith. In November eleven journalists were given threats and four press clubs were threatened with bomb attack, mostly in Natore and Tangail districts. In December 19 journalists in Barisal and Gazipur districts were given written threats.
The coalition government of Khaled Zia has not helped the situation. One member of her BNP party, Shahidul Talukder incited violence against journalists at a BNP rally in Baufal in the south on 31 August 2005. Following this, on September 17, BNP members "viciously beat Anwar Hossain, journalist on daily newspaper Dainik Khobor Patra over a two-hour period."
Two members of JMB were arrested today, in the districts of Tangail (green on map) and Rajshahi (mauve on map). The person arrested in Tangail is Abdul Alim, aged 20 (pictured), who was taken during a raid on his father's property. A large number of jihadi books were found at the home of Shawkat Ali in the village of Singair in the upazila of Kalihathi. Police said Abdul Alim was a JMB activist who had taken part in the nationwide bombings which happened on August 17.
In Rajshahi, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) a paramilitary security force, arrested the 'commander' of a JMB unit in the upazila (sub-district) of Bagha. Tashikul Islam was arrested outside the gate of Bagha High School. He made a confession which was relayed by Rab, stating that he collected donations and funds from local JMB activists and forwarded them to commanders in Rajshahi and Naogaon district.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 2, 2006 8:39 PM
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