DHAKA: Bangladesh police on Saturday arrested a politician accused of masterminding the murder of a journalist who had written stories about his family.
Mahmudul Alam Babu was arrested near the Indian border after a nationwide manhunt, the country’s elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said in a statement.
The 50-year-old is accused of organizing Wednesday’s murder of Golam Rabbani Nadim, who was beaten by a gang of men near his home in Jamalpur district and later died in hospital.
Babu was retaliating for a series of stories on a custody dispute involving a child following his recent divorce, local police chief Sohel Rana told AFP.
“He is the number one accused in the case over the murder of the journalist,” Rana said.
“A journalist saw him on the spot when Nadim was beaten by a group of men,” he added.
Rana said Babu was the general secretary of the local wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League.
The party announced Babu’s expulsion immediately after he was named a suspect in the killing.
Six other people were also arrested over the murder, Rana said.
Local press club president Shaheen Al Amin told AFP that Babu had been angered by Nadim’s “extensive coverage” of his family dispute.
Babu had filed a defamation suit against the reporter but a court quashed the case on Tuesday, Amin said.
“The next day Nadim was attacked by Babu’s men and he was hit on his head with a brick. He died due to internal bleeding,” he added.
Journalist groups staged protests after the murder to demand the arrest of the culprits.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Bangladesh 163 of 180 countries in its 2023 World Press Freedom Index.
Journalists with Bangladesh’s dwindling independent media outlets have been under increasing pressure from the government and Hasina’s ruling party.
In March the editor of the country’s largest newspaper and a reporter were charged under the controversial Digital Security Act for writing an article on the high cost of food.
Authorities shut down the lone opposition mouthpiece in February, saying it violated press laws.
Bangladesh arrests politician over journalist’s murder
https://arab.news/znq9n
Bangladesh arrests politician over journalist’s murder
- Mahmudul Alam Babu was arrested near the Indian border after a nationwide manhunt
- The 50-year-old is accused of organising Wednesday's murder of Golam Rabbani Nadim
Israel says ban on Gaza media access should stay: court document
- Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons
JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.
Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military forces inside the blockaded territory.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking immediate and unrestricted access for international media to the Gaza Strip.
Since then the court has given several extensions to the Israeli authorities to come up with a plan, but at a hearing last month it set January 4 as a final deadline.
Late on Sunday, the Israeli authorities filed their response with the court, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
In the submission, the government said the ban on media access to Gaza should continue, citing security risks in the territory.
“Even at this time, entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip without escort, as requested in the petition, should not be permitted,” said the government submission.
“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists.”
The Israeli authorities said the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10, continues to face regular threats.
At least 420 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The Israeli military said three of its soldiers have also been killed by militants during the same period.
The Israeli authorities said in their submission that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza is ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists into the territory at this stage could hinder the operation.
The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire.
All other 250 hostages seized on that day — both the living and the deceased — have been returned to Israel.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.
An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.
