Editors’ Council condemns case filed against Anis Alamgir

The Editors’ Council has strongly condemned the filing of a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against journalist Anis Alamgir after he was summoned to the DB office without any specific allegation.

The condemnation was expressed in a statement issued on Monday by Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud.

The statement said that Anis Alamgir was summoned to the DB office on Sunday without any specific allegation, detained there, and a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act was filed against him the following day, after which he was shown arrested. Such actions, the council said, revive memories of state repression against journalists during past authoritarian regimes.

The Editors’ Council noted that similar practices were witnessed during the tenure of the Awami League government, when false cases, harassment and arbitrary arrests of journalists were common. The current incident, it said, is a repetition of that regrettable reality.

The council strongly condemned the incident and stated clearly that if there are specific allegations against any journalist, those must be addressed strictly through existing laws and due legal process. Summoning a journalist to the DB office without allegations, detaining them, and later filing a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act to justify arrest is unacceptable.

The statement also noted that since the fall of Hasina following the mass uprising on August 5, 2024, many journalists have been named in false murder cases, with several still in jail. The Editors’ Council has previously demanded the withdrawal of such false cases. Although the government’s law adviser had promised action against false cases and harassment, no steps have yet been taken.

The Editors’ Council said such conduct once again recalls memories of repression of journalists under authoritarian rule and demanded the immediate withdrawal of all baseless cases.