Press Club of India condemns attacks on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star

The Press Club of India, PCI, has strongly condemned the violent attacks, vandalism and arson carried out at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. The organisation has also expressed deep concern over the harassment of senior journalist Nurul Kabir, editor of the Daily New Age and president of the Editors’ Council.

In a statement, the Press Club of India said that since the interim government assumed office in Bangladesh, more than 100 journalists have been arrested in murder cases. Alleging that they have been kept in jail for extended periods without trial, the organisation demanded their immediate release.

The statement said that independent and responsible journalism is one of the fundamental pillars of a democratic state. Violence, intimidation, attacks or harassment to silence the media are in no way acceptable. Such actions, it added, run contrary to media freedom, the constitutional right to freedom of expression and the rule of law.

The Press Club of India further demanded that those involved in the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as in the harassment of journalists, be identified and brought to justice through a fair, impartial and swift investigation.