Update

***French President Hosts Reception for Human Rights Defenders at Élysée Palace***Human Rights Lawyer Shahanur Islam Joins Hands with ARDHIS for Bangladeshi LGBTQI Asylum Seekers in France***New Platform to Fight Discrimination Against LGBTQI+ Community in Bangladesh***Human Rights Advocates Meet with French Ambassador to the Council of Europe ***Bangladesh Needs to Make Further Progress Towards Gender Equality***JusticeMakers Bangladesh calls for justice and protection for religious minorities in Bangladesh***French Human Rights Ambassador Honours HR Defenders at Paris***JusticeMakers Bangladesh is deeply concerned over the harassment against student of Islamic University in Bangladesh***JusticeMakers Bangladesh urges to withdraw the ban of Prity's book "Jonmo O Jonir Itihas" immediately***JusticeMakers Bangladesh expresses deep concern, condemnation and protest over the vandalism 14 Hindu temples in Thakurgaon***JusticeMakers Bangladesh deeply concern over the threat of crossfire to the lawyer Aminul Gani Tito in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the attacked on CEO of BELA***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the disappearance of lawyer in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Urges Immidiate Release of Arrested Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh concerns over viciously attacked on lawyer Abdur Rashid Mollah at Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerned over attacked on indigenous people at Bogura***JusticeMakers Bangladesh welcomes the decision of Metropolitan Magistrate to acquit four Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Protests and concerns Over the Abduction and Torture of Two Trans-women in Meherpur***Shahanur Islam attended the 21st World Summit on Participatory Democracy at Grenoble, France***

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Criminal group threatens crime reporter in Bangladesh

A telephone caller claiming to represent a wanted criminal overseas threatened to kill a senior crime reporter for writing about the drug trade, local news reports and a human rights advocate said.

Jahangir Alam, who heads the crime department at the United News of Bangladesh news agency and is an executive member of the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB), received the call in the country's capital, Dhaka, on July 13, according to the reports.

The caller introduced himself as an associate of Subrata Bayeen, a high-profile criminal wanted on charges of terrorism and drug possession, and threatened to shoot the journalist. Bayeen is believed to have fled the country to escape arrest, news reports said.

"Alam recently wrote a number of stories regarding illegal drug trades and criminal activities, mentioning the involvement of associates of Subrata Bayeen," Shahanur Islam, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute for Human Rights (BIHR) told CPJ by email. Alam reported the threat to the police but they took no action to identify the caller, Islam told CPJ. Both BIHR and CRAB expressed concern at the lack of police action to trace the threat and protect the journalist.