IFJ Calls for Full Investigation into Press Club Bombing in Bangladesh
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has voiced serious concern for the safety of journalists in the Khulna
district of Bangladesh after calling for a full enquiry into the cause of the recent bomb blast outside the Khulna Press
Club.
Sheikh Belaluddin Ahmed, bureau chief of daily Sangram, was critically wounded after touching a bag attached to his
parked motorcycle, containing a bomb police suspect was detonated by a remote control.
Sheikh Abu Hasan, Khulna Press Club President, Sheikh Jahid Hossain, staff photographer of daily Jugantor, and Tutul
Ahmed, staff reporter of daily Loksomaj, were also injured in the blast while walking towards their motorcycles.
“A full investigation is needed to prosecute those behind these attacks and to put a stop to violence against
journalists,” said IFJ president Christopher Warren today.
The police are unsure about the cause of the attack, but outlawed groups have allegedly been threatening journalists in
the region.
Five journalists have already been killed in the Khulna district in the last 10 years. Humayun Kabir Balu, editor of
daily Janmabhum, was killed in a bomb attack on June 27 last year and a few months earlier, a similar incident killed
Manik Saha, bureau chief of the New Age.
The IFJ joins the Khulna Press Club, the Khulna Union of Journalists and the Metropolitan Union of Journalists in their
protests against the bomb attack and supports their calls for increased safety.
“The safety of local journalists is a priority for the global journalism community,” said Warren.