Demanding withdrawal of criminal cased filed against two top Bangladeshi newspaper editors, Human Rights Watch today said it is an attempt to intimidate media in the country and called for repealing the criminal defamation and sedition laws as they "violate" international standards.
"Criminal charges against editors of the leading newspapers in Bangladesh are a clear attempt to intimidate all media in the country," HRW Asia director Brad Adams said days after several defamation suits were filed against Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam for publishing "false and distorted" corruption stories about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the army-backed emergency rule in 2007-2008.
A Bangladeshi court ordered a treason probe against the editor.
Several cases have also been filed against Matiur Rahman, the editor of Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo for criminal defamation and "hurting religious sentiment."
"A government controlling almost all seats in parliament and all national executive authority has to be particularly protective of a free press or risk turning Bangladesh into an authoritarian state," the New York-based rights group said.
It said that the cases are part of a larger, organised assault on independent media in Bangladesh over several years.
"Defamation should not be treated as a crime," Adams said.
"If a newspaper intentionally publishes false information that harms an individual's reputation, then a civil defamation case is the proper remedy, so long as a fair and impartial trial can be assured. But Bangladesh should not be in the business of jailing journalists for what they write," it said.
"Bangladesh's sedition and criminal defamation laws are contrary to the countrys international human rights obligations," it said.
"These criminal charges are clearly a form of retribution against political enemies of the government," Adams said.
