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MNA National Desk: Journalists unions on Monday protested ruling party lawmaker Shamim Osman’s ‘indecorous’ remarks about mass media and Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Editor of the Daily Observer.
Joy Bangla Sangbadik Mancha organized a protest rally in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.
BFUJ, Secretary General Omar Faruq, DUJ President Shaban Mahmud and General Secretary Sohel Haider Chowdhury, JPC vice-president Azizul Islam Bhuyan, former DUJ general secretary Kuddus Afrad and BFUJ Joint Secretary General Pulack Ghatack, strongly protested the remarks of Shamim Osman, a highly controversial MP from Narayanganj.
Anyone can protest or can go to the Press Council, if he or she has allegations against an organization or individual in mass media, but making personal attacks in the Parliament is surely a behavior devoid of decency, they said and sought the Parliament Speaker’s interference in this regard.
The BFUJ and DUJ leaders said many people, including Shamim Osman, were not found in this country after 2001, but now, after getting power, they are making evil attempts to slander those who worked like sentinels along with the pro-liberation forces and fell victims to harassments and attacks at that time.
It is unfortunate that those bold voices after 2001 are now being vilified by people like Shamim Osman and some controversial persons, the Journalist union leaders said.
Our Chittagong Correspondent added that The Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ) and the Chittagong Press Club (CPC) on Monday condemned the filing of a defamation case against Prime Minister’s Media Adviser and the Daily Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.
A statement, signed by Reaz Haider Chowdhury and Muhammad Ali, president and general secretary of CUJ, termed unwanted and unexpected the filing of the case against the journalists’ leader.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the case, they said the present government was determined to establish the freedom of press to nourish the democracy. But, filing of a case against Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury by a government lawmaker is abhorrent, they added.
In another statement, the CPC demanded withdrawal of the case for maintaining freedom of press. Kalim Sarwar and Shuklal Das, president and general secretary of the organisation, issued the statement.
Meanwhile, the CUJ and the CPC announced to hold a protest rally in front of the Chittagong Press Club at 10:00am on Tuesday.
Khulna Union of Journalists and the Khulna Press club will hold a protest rally in front of the Khulna Press club at 10:00am today (Tuesday), reports our correspondent.
Our Jessore Correspondent adds: Jessore Union of Journalists will hold a protest rally in front of Jessore Press club at 10:00am on Tuesday
On Sunday, Awami League lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari from Feni- 2 constituency filed a Tk 10 crore defamation case against Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury with a Feni court for publishing a report on January 23.
