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Bangladesh charges 6 journalists over corruption reporting

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Bangladesh charges 6 journalists over corruption reporting

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New Delhi, June 22, 2026—Bangladeshi authorities should drop all charges filed against six journalists from the daily Agrajatra Pratidin who have been criminalized for their public-interest reporting on political corruption, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

Police have charged the journalists under the Cyber Security Act 2026, as well as with criminal defamation, extortion, and criminal intimidation, according to a copy of the police case file reviewed by CPJ. 

The criminal complaint, filed by Bogura Press Club Treasurer Tanvir Alam Rimon, stems from the newspaper’s reporting on alleged corruption committed by state Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam.

It accuses the journalists of false and defamatory reporting and alleges that the newspaper’s acting editor, Md. Rezanur Islam, tried to extort 2 million taka (US$16,400) from Rimon and Alam.

Police from Bogura district arrested Islam on June 18 and he was held in prison until he was granted bail on June 21. Police have said that efforts to arrest the other journalists named in the complaint — publisher and editor Mehedi Hasan, news editor Ashraf Ali Faruqi, reporter Saleh Kaisar, and two Bogura correspondents — are ongoing.

“The detention of Rezanur Islam and charges against five other Agrajatra Pratidin journalists for their reporting on allegations of corruption against a government minister is a blatant act of intimidation,” said Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific program coordinator. “Authorities must drop these charges and stop weaponizing cyber and criminal defamation laws against the press.”

Alam has expressed regret over the arrest and said no one should pursue action on his behalf. 

CPJ emailed the Bogura superintendent of police and the deputy press secretary at the prime minister’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

CPJ has in recent years documented a rise in physical attacks on media outlets, threats, and harassment linked to political polarization in Bangladesh. In early June, CPJ called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to start living up to his election manifesto pledge of protecting press freedom.

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