Bangladesh
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28
Aug
2018
Suborna Noidi
Suborna Noidi, a thirty-two year old correspondent for Amanda TV and Daily Jagroto Newspaper, was killed by a mob. Nodi “was horrifically attacked and hacked with a sharp-edged weapon by as many as ten assailants at approximately 10pm. She was rushed to Pabna Medical College Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.” Authorities later confirmed they had arrested Nodi’s father-in-law and the caretaker of her house. Both her family and police believe the killing was provoked by an ongoing legal battle over her recent divorce and dowry arrangements. The murder is not believed to be related to her reporting.
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5
Aug
2018
Shahidul Alam
Shahidul Alam was arrested and detained by police for interrogation regarding posts he had made on Facebook concerning ongoing student protests. A group of plainclothes officers identifying themselves as detectives came to the building in Dhanmondi around 10:30pm and stormed into Shahidul’s apartment. They broke the building’s CCTV cameras, disconnected its intercom connection, and took him away forcibly in a van. The IFJ and its affiliates in Bangladesh viewed this as part of a broader crackdown on media and dissent which accompanied the protests.
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22
Jul
2018
Mahmudur Rahman
Mahmudur Rahman, editor for Amar Desh Daily was brutally attacked by a mob of more than 100 supposed affiliates of the Bangladesh Chhatra league, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League. Rahman had been confined to the courthouse where he was facing defamation charges, despite having been granted bail, over fears of the mob violence which awaited him outside. When he finally left, he and his car were attacked; he then sought shelter in an advocate’s room where he was beaten. Fearing reprisals, he decided not to treat his injuries in a local hospital and flew to Dhaka. The case concerned supposed defamatory remarks Rahman had made about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2017. The Amar Desh is considered an opposition-aligned paper.