Rozina’s arrest: DRU goes for demo wearing black masks Friday

The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) is going to stage a demonstration wearing black masks on Friday, protesting journalist Rozina's arrest in a case under Official Secrets Act.

The Dhaka-based largest reporters' association in a media release made the announcement on Thursday.

Rozina Islam, a senior reporter of Prothom Alo, is accused of taking photos of some "sensitive documents" of the ministry on Covid-19 vaccine sourcing.

On Monday, she was kept detained for at least five hours at the Secretariat by several health ministry officials.

Later, they handed over the investigative journalist to Shahbagh Police Station.

An FIR was filed against Rozina, who unearthed some health sector corruption news recently, under the Official Secrets Act and sections 379 and 411 of The Penal Code.

Day after the arrest, a Dhaka court sent Rozina to jail, rejecting the five-day remand petition, and set Thursday to hear her bail plea. Rozina was taken to Kashimpur Central Women's Jail.

After a long hearing from the defence and prosecution on Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Baki Billah reset Sunday for the bail decision. The court said it would verify relevant documents in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the case filed against Rozina was transferred to the Detective Branch of police on Wednesday.