Updated I: Amar Desh report on the plot.
Updated II: Case filed against Mahmudur Rahman, validating his prediction.
Updated III: Government shuts down Amar Desh and cancels its publication declaration.
Updated IV: Police surround Amar Desh building; Mahmudur Rahman’s arrest likely.
Updated V: Mahmudur Rahman arrested.
Updated VI: Mahmudur Rahman produced in Court.
Updated VII: Another case filed against Mahmudur Rahman, Amar Desh Deputy Editor and Chief Correspondent Syed Abdal Ahmed, four other staff and another one hundred unnamed individuals.
Updated VIII: A discerning reader, M. Amin, has commented below that the common thread running between the banning of Facebook and the closure of Amar Desh at this critical point may be the Government inquiry reports about the BDR massacre. These reports initially became available on Facebook, and Amar Desh has been publishing them on a daily basis.
Media reports are claiming that the government has picked up Hasmat Ali, the Publisher of Daily Amar Desh. Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman has claimed that the government has picked up Ali to pressurize him to file cases against Mahmudur Rahman. In true Bangladeshi fashion, the authorities are denying that they even have him in custody, and the family members are too terrified to speak out.
Why, so soon after the disastrous ban on Facebook, this crackdown on another media outlet? Mahmudur Rahman has long been a thorn on the side of this government; his paper broke the alleged corruption story between the Prime Minister’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and Chevron. Amar Desh also earned the ire of the First Family by detailing their internal squabbling about which of their relatives by marriage played the most anti-Bangladeshi role during the Liberation War of 1971.
Some of Amar Desh’s greatest hits from just the last two months:
Indian sky marshals to serve in Bangladesh.
Pro-Pakistan role of State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam’s family during 1971.
Marrying grandson of Rajakar is fine: Sajeda Chowdhury.
Details of the previously unpublish government report of the BDR massacre.
Sheikh Helal given unique treatment by the Court.
High Court Judge Iman Ali a British citizen; constitutionally barred from holding post.
Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir blasts ACC, questions Latifur Rahman and Dr. Mozaffar Ahmed.
Corruption allegations against Rashed Khan Menon.
Battle of the in-laws: Nuru Mian v. Naila Musa (“Prince” Musa Bin Shamsher) (part 1) (part 2).
June 1, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Latest is police is at the door of Amardesh office without warrent but trying to arrest acting editor Mahmudur Rahman.
http://www.sheershanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19671:2010-06-01-16-36-03&catid=52:2009-07-24-13-37-08&Itemid=59
June 1, 2010 at 1:42 pm
To add to list of what Amardesh greatest hit.
Here is the unedited report of BDR massacre originally published in Facebook and serially publishing at amardesh. And both facebook and Amardesh is banned by Awami League regime.
Report
part 1
http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/05/26/33530
part2
[url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/05/27/33675
part3
[url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/05/28/33850
part 4
[url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/05/29/34009
part 5
[url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/05/31/34335
June 1, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Amerdesh editor Mahmudur Rahman arrested along with 4 other journalist.
June 1, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Evidently coerced cased against Mahmudur Rahman was filed in Tejgoan police station. But according to unnamed police officer after arrest Mahmudur Rahman has been taken to Cantonment police station. If one recall it is that Cantonment police station where most of the 1/11 arrestee were taken and tortured by defense intelligence under alias of joint force.
http://www.sheershanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19675:2010-06-01-17-38-17&catid=52:2009-07-24-13-37-08&Itemid=59
June 1, 2010 at 6:15 pm
[...] on Budget in rear-view mirrorkgazi on I Care, I Walk: Give Every Child an Equal Chance to SurviveGovernment Picks Up Amar Desh Publisher « In the Middle of Nowhere on We Will Close More ChannelsAnil Srivastava on EXCLUSIVE: Nurul Islam DocumentaryAhbab Aziz on [...]
June 1, 2010 at 9:02 pm
IF we don’t raise our voice, this is not going to be last. This is indeed a dangerous precedence from which no newspaper in future is safe. The next BNP government might use this to close down Prothom Alo, Janakantha or Daily Star… So no matter what your political affiliation is, please raise your voice.
June 1, 2010 at 11:37 pm
While our freedom of speech has taken away there is impending danger in another side – human right is under relentless attack. Since arrest whereabouts of Mahmudur Rahman is unknown, he has not been produced in court nor could anyone find where he is.
Un named police officer mentioned Mahmudur Rahman has been taken to Cantonment police station – Notorious for torture during 1/11, even some Awami leader did not forgot about those days.
June 2, 2010 at 4:43 am
Faceblocked
by Fariha Sarawat
Read full text here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dhakamails/message/6057
June 2, 2010 at 6:39 am
It’s probably a tolerance test underway. Youtube closed, no protest and nothing. M. Abdullah chased and beaten, no protest yet. Channel 1 closed and it’s 418 employees made jobless in a minute, only few Facebook noises, but still no protest. Then it came on Facebook. Facebook closed, nothing big yet. So, now Amar Desh to close. Two great advantages are here. First, no other newspaper can highlight and react at this heinous act like Amar Desh could have reacted, and second, the tool where AL’s rapid transformation to BKSAL was vibrantly being spread, Facebook, is closed.
God forbid, this tolerance test finally may end like another one executed by them earlier in hour history concluded.
June 2, 2010 at 10:57 pm
We will either see continuation of crackdown on free speech or see media self censor themselves to avoid the government axe. Either way, a possible great demise of free speech unless we speak up. We have already gotten used to the idiotic act of “name change with power change” but let’s not allow yet another absurdity into the mix especially when it’s about our freedom of speech.
June 2, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Amar Desh closure betrays govt’s antipathy to free media
THE closure of the Bangla daily Amar Desh on Tuesday night, which followed after the government cancelled its declaration, is obviously undemocratic and seemingly illegal. Ominously, the discontinuation of its publication, come as it does in the wake of the closure of the private news television Channel 1 and the blocking of access to Facebook, the social networking site, looks to be part of an emerging pattern that seems to stem from the Awami League-led government’s increasing intolerance with dissenting as well as divergent views. Needless to say, both Channel 1 and Amar Desh have been quite critical of the government’s policies and actions, whereas an increasing number of people have used Facebook, to articulate and circulate their anger and angst at, and displeasure and disenchantment with, the incumbents. Such actions of the government may have been aimed at, and may have succeeded to, induce a sense of fear among the journalists, electronic and print, especially among those who have been persistent with the criticism of the government’s undemocratic and anti-people policies and actions, so as to make them fall in line and exercise self-censorship. On the whole, the closure of Amar Desh could have just been a government ploy to impinge on press freedom.
The government seems to have been cross with Amar Desh for quite some time and its animosity towards the newspaper apparently peaked when the latter ran a report on the alleged involvement of the prime minister’s son in high-profile corruption. Ever since, the acting editor of the paper, Mahmudur Rahman, has been subjected to legal and extra-legal harassments; defamation cases were filed with several lower courts across the country while he came under attack, supposedly by ruling party exponents, on more occasions than one. Moreover, the circumstances leading to the closure of the newspaper looked dodgy, to say the least. Allegations have it that the publisher of the paper was detained by the National Security Intelligence for about six hours on Tuesday. Later, in the evening, he filed a case with the Tejgaon police accusing Mahmud of continuing to use his name as the publisher although he had resigned on December 4, 2008. The legal technicalities which resulted in the cancellation of the newspaper’s declaration seem to have been a result of the government’s design. According to a report published in New Age on Wednesday, Mahmud told a news conference that he had informed the authorities of the changes at Amar Desh, secured a no objection certificate from the Department of Films and Publications and submitted applications to the deputy commissioner and other officials concerned for permission to change the names of the printer and the publisher ‘but there was no response.’
Overall, the government’s actions, one may say, are open to be construed as being ultimately geared towards gagging the press. Independent media is a prime prerequisite for a functional democracy, for it contributes to ensuring democratic accountability of the government by keeping a constant watch on its actions and policies, and also helps the people form informed opinions. Besides, press freedom is a constitutional obligation of the state. The government needs to realise, or be made to realise, that infringement of press freedom ultimately amounts to an attempt at denying the people’s aspiration for democratic growth of the state and society. Hence, as we protest against the government’s actions against Amar Desh, we demand that it should be allowed to resume publication immediately.
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jun/03/edit.html
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=141106
http://prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-06-03/news/68045
http://prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-06-03/news/68048
June 3, 2010 at 5:43 am
Blocked, Banned, Censored and Beaten in Bangladesh
MBI Munshi
mbimunshi@gmail.com
THE HIT LIST SO FAR –
DeshCalling blog banned
Channel One closed
Jumuna TV closed
Talkshow closed
You tube banned
Facebook Banned
Amardesh journalist attacked and beaten
Amardesh editor was attacked in Dhaka and in London by Awami league terrorist
Amardesh publisher is arrested by NSI
http://newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=320716
June 3, 2010 at 6:38 am
Tacit,
Two requests:
1. Make PDFs of the amardesh stories you linked to. That site has alway been under DOS attack, and who knows how long it’ll stay up. If it lasts till Monday, I’ll do it myself. Too much work at the moment.
2. Any good clips of the police trying to arrest MR? I mean, the AD offices are in Kawran Bazar right (I can’t remember at the moment)? Surrounded by TV stations. Xanthis, any video clips?
June 3, 2010 at 8:26 am
I’ll take a shot at it. You should certainly make copies yourself.
No videos yet; also something worth looking into.
June 5, 2010 at 7:32 am
AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME…
Martin Niemoller’s poem adapted to present day Bangladesh –
by Sohai lTaj
THEY CAME FIRST for the Army officers,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t in the army
THEN THEY CAME for the Newspaper editors,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a journalist
THEN THEY CAME for the Nationalists and religious leaders
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a party member or religious
THEN THEY CAME for the Writers and intellectuals,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a writer or an intellectual
THEN THEY CAME FOR ME
And by that time no one was left to speak up
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dhakamails/message/6089
July 15, 2010 at 10:09 am
[...] is in prison and his newspaper has been forced to stop [...]
July 18, 2010 at 11:03 am
[...] Government Picks Up Amar Desh Publisher; Shuts Down Amar Desh; Arrests Editor Mahmudur Rahman [...]
July 19, 2010 at 10:37 pm
[...] is in prison and his newspaper has been forced to stop [...]
September 27, 2010 at 9:13 am
[...] one such case, this editor drew the ire of the ruling party. Because Mr Mahmudur rahman is already under fire from the government, legalizing and prolonging his incarceration is a great gift to the government from this activist [...]
July 20, 2011 at 10:51 pm
[...] the government arrested him, tried to gag his newspaper, tried and failed to connect him to the so-called Uttara conspiracy, [...]
November 7, 2011 at 12:37 am
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