Eminent citizens demand Rozina’s immediate release

Some 83 eminent citizens demanded an immediate release of Rozina Islam who was arrested in case under Offical Secrects Acts on Monday.

"We urge the government to withdraw the health ministry official's filed case with ill-intention, an immediate, unconditional release of Rozina," they said in a joint statement on Friday.

The eminent personnel also demanded bringing the officials involved in harassing Rozina under trial.

Educationist Serajul Islam Choudhury, Former Caretaker Government Advisors Wahiduddin Mahmud , Sultana Kamal, Rasheda K Chowdhury, Economist Debapriya Bhattacharya, Former Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, Gonoshasthaya Kendra FounderDr Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, Supreme Court Lawyer Shahdeen Malik, SHUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, ALRD Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Professor Ali Riaz, Dhaka University Professor Asif Nazrul, Gitiara Nasreen, Jahangir Nagar University Professor Anu Mohammad, Chittagong University Professor Maidul Islam, eminent photographer Shahidul Alam, Asia Society of Bangladesh President Mahfuza Khanom, and Human rights activists Sharmin Murshid, Rehnuma Ahmed are among the 83 citizens.

"We the people expect the journalist's bail in Thursday, but the court set Sunday to decide it instead. Such a delay in Rozina's bail makes a frustration for us," they said.

The sections under which the case filed are bailable, and no complexity would appear if the court granted bail for her, the statement reads.

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.

She was kept detained for at least five hours at the Secretariat by several health ministry officials on Monday.

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.