Journalists stage sit-in across country

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists stages a sit-in in front of the National Press Club in the city yesterday protesting cancellation of the booking of an auditorium, the venue of its national convention.. PHOTO: STAR

The journalists' organisations staged the programme protesting the 'undemocratic' and 'fascistic' behaviour of the government that forced the union leaders to cancel a national convention against repression on journalists.

Covering their mouths with black clothes, the agitated journalists also observed a two-hour token-hunger strike and held a rally protesting the same.

At the protest rally, BFUJ President Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury accused the government of repressing the journalists.

"We have called the 'National Convention against Repression on Journalists, Terrorism and Militancy' but the government, in the name of security reasons, prevented us from holding the convention," he added.

He also said a fresh schedule of the convention would be announced shortly.

Though the BFUJ was scheduled to hold the convention at the Institute of Diploma Engineers (IDE) today, it was forced to postpone it as IDE authorities, following the directive from the National Security Intelligence, cancelled the booking of the auditorium showing security reasons for the Saarc Summit in Dhaka.

Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina was supposed to attend the convention as chief guest while national political leaders from different opposition parties and civil society were also invited to the daylong convention.

Besides the capital city, the journalists in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Bogra, Dinajpur and Mymensingh also observed token hunger strikes protesting government's 'undemocratic' behaviour.

Meanwhile, BFUJ and DUJ leaders, in a joint statement yesterday, protested the government version regarding cancellation of the venue.

Terming the government press note a 'false' one, they also said, "the government has put the lame excuse of security to cancel the convention".

The signatories to the statement are BFUJ President and Secretary General Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul and DUJ President and General Secretary Altaf Mahmud and Shah Alamgir.