BNP on Wednesday strongly denounced the arrest of daily Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams by law enforcers, saying it is a dreadful incident.
Speaking at a press conference, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also warned that the government will only face losses without making political gains by arresting any journalist.
"A journalist of the daily Prothom Alo was taken away from his home by CID early today (Wednesday)... This is an awful incident,” he said.
The BNP leader said Somoy Television aired a feature on Tuesday night that Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams made a report on March 26 to embarrass the government.
“But I don't understand what crime the journalist has committed... I strongly condemn the detention of Shasuzzaman Shams and demand his immediate and unconditional release,” Fakhrul said.
He questioned as to how the journalist committed a crime by presenting the facts.
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“It's being said the independence was denigrated by doing this (report) on March 26. If a person feels hungry on the day of independence, if he feels deprived, and if he gives that comment that what is the benefit of my country becoming independent? What crime has been committed, where is the crime here?”
He said people can raise any question about the benefit of independence when they do not get food to eat, when they are subjected to repression, suppression, and murder. “It doesn't mean that he is against independence.”
The BNP leader also questioned the justification of the detention of Shasuzzaman for making a report with public opinion.
"This is causing more damage to the government. The government in no way can get any credit or points by harassing a journalist for highlighting the comments of common people. History says that no government, that did this kind of work in Bangladesh, starting from the language movement during the Pakistan era, was spared,” he said.
The press conference was held at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office to inform the media about the decisions of the party standing committee's virtual meeting held on Tuesday.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in plainclothes picked Shamsuzzama up from his residence in Ambagan area adjacent to Jahangirnagar University around 4:30am.
Later, a Jubo League leader filed a case under the Digital Security Act against Samsuzzaman accusing him of publishing a false and fabricated report in the daily Prothom Alo.
