DHAKA, June 21 — Press freedom advocates and rights organizations have condemned the arrest and imprisonment of Md. Rezanur Islam, acting editor of the Bangla daily Agrojatra Pratidin, after a case was filed over a report concerning State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam.
Rezanur was arrested on the night of June 18 by detectives from the Bogura District Detective Branch in the Board Bazar area of Gazipur. The following day, he was produced before the Bogura Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court, which ordered him sent to jail.
The arrest has triggered sharp criticism from PEN Bangladesh, the Editors’ Council and JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), all of which said the use of criminal law and cyber legislation against journalists over a published report raises serious concerns about press freedom, freedom of expression and the future of investigative journalism in Bangladesh.
The case was filed on June 15 by Tanvir Alam Rimon, treasurer of the Bogura Press Club and northern Bangladesh correspondent of The New Nation. The complaint was linked to a report published by Agrojatra Pratidin about allegations concerning State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, who represents Bogura-2, Shibganj.
The complaint accused the newspaper’s journalists of publishing false and defamatory information and of distorting statements made at a June 12 press conference at the Bogura Press Club. The case was later recorded as a First Information Report at Bogura Sadar Police Station. It also included allegations of extortion.
Six journalists associated with Agrojatra Pratidin were named in the case. They are Mehedi Hasan, publisher and editor; Md. Rezanur Islam, acting editor; Ashraf Ali Faruqi, news editor; Saleh Kayser and Shasmul Alam Shams, reporters; and Sabbir Hasan, Bogura correspondent.
Police have said the case was filed under the Cyber Security Act and includes defamation and extortion allegations. Bogura police officials told local media that Rezanur was arrested in connection with the case and sent to jail after being produced before the court.
The allegations against the journalists have not been tested in court. The newspaper’s published report and the complainant’s claims remain matters for legal determination.
PEN Bangladesh, the local chapter of the international writers’ organization PEN, strongly condemned the arrest in a statement signed by its office secretary, Zahid Sohag, on June 20.
The organization demanded Rezanur’s immediate and unconditional release, a full review of the case and stronger protection for media freedom. It said journalists must be able to investigate and publish reports on matters of public interest without fear of criminal prosecution.
“Investigating and publishing matters of public interest is a fundamental part of freedom of expression and democratic accountability,” PEN Bangladesh said in its statement. It warned that the trend of filing criminal cases and making arrests over routine journalism could obstruct investigative reporting across the country.
PEN Bangladesh also said the use of the Cyber Security Act and criminal proceedings to resolve disputes over defamation or reputation was deeply troubling. It said such action was inconsistent with international standards on free expression and urged authorities to review the case quickly and transparently.
The Editors’ Council also protested the arrest, saying the incident reflected a disturbing continuation of practices that have long undermined press freedom in Bangladesh.
In a statement issued on June 20, the council said the arrest contradicted the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s election commitments and its 31-point state reform agenda, which had promised to protect freedom of expression and media independence.
“If anyone feels aggrieved by a news report, they can file a complaint with the Press Council or seek recourse under existing laws,” the Editors’ Council said. “Instead of using these mechanisms, a journalist has been arrested and jailed over a report.”
The council demanded Rezanur’s immediate release and urged authorities to ensure that disputes over published news are addressed through professional and legal institutions, particularly the Bangladesh Press Council, rather than through arrests and imprisonment.
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France, a Paris-based human rights organization, issued a separate statement on June 21 condemning Rezanur’s arrest and imprisonment.
JMBF said the case showed that the use of cyber laws against journalists had continued under the newly formed BNP-led government, despite public expectations that the political transition would improve democracy, human rights and media freedom.
“As under the previous government, allegations of using the Cyber Security Act to target journalists through criminal cases, arrests, and harassment continue under the newly formed government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” said Advocate Shahanur Islam, JMBF’s founder president. “This is deeply concerning.”
He said there had been widespread expectation that the change in government would strengthen democracy, human rights and press freedom. “However, recent developments have seriously undermined those expectations and must come to an immediate end,” he said.
JMBF called for Rezanur’s immediate and unconditional release, an end to harassment of the other journalists named in the case, and a prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigation.
The organization also urged the United Nations, the European Union, international human rights groups, global press freedom organizations and the diplomatic community to monitor the case closely.
“Independent journalism is not a crime,” JMBF said. “It is a cornerstone of accountability, good governance, and the protection of human rights.”
The arrest comes amid renewed concerns over Bangladesh’s cyber and digital laws. Successive governments have faced criticism for using digital legislation to pursue journalists, political critics and civil society activists.
The Digital Security Act, enacted in 2018, was widely criticized by rights groups for vague provisions and harsh penalties. It was later replaced by the Cyber Security Act in 2023. More recent cyber legislation has also drawn concern from media rights organizations, which say broad definitions and weak safeguards can still allow criminal prosecution of legitimate expression.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in June 2026 that Bangladesh’s current cyber legal framework retained vague definitions and weak judicial oversight, describing these features as part of what made earlier laws instruments of press repression.
Transparency International Bangladesh has also warned that repeated repackaging of digital laws has not removed the deeper risk to fundamental rights. It said thousands of people, including journalists, media workers, politicians and civil society members, faced repression under the Digital Security Act between 2018 and 2024.
International free expression organization ARTICLE 19 earlier warned that Bangladesh’s cyber law reforms should comply with international human rights standards and protect independent journalism. It called for clear and narrow definitions of offenses and stronger oversight of law enforcement powers.
The case against Agrojatra Pratidin has added to those concerns because it involves reporting about a public official. Press freedom advocates say public officials have access to legal and institutional remedies if they believe a report is false, but arresting journalists before a transparent review of the disputed reporting can create a chilling effect.
Rights organizations have also argued that criminal defamation provisions and cyber laws should not be used to punish journalists for reporting on corruption allegations, especially when the subject is a public official. They say such cases can discourage local journalists from investigating abuse of power, public spending, political influence and official misconduct.
The arrest has also raised questions because the complaint was filed by another journalist, not directly by the state minister named in the report. PEN Bangladesh said the matter should be reviewed through lawful and transparent procedures, with safeguards against the misuse of power.
Bangladesh’s media environment has remained under pressure through successive governments. Journalists have faced criminal cases, physical attacks, threats, job insecurity and political pressure. Local reporters outside Dhaka are often more vulnerable because they work closer to powerful local officials, police, political actors and business interests.
Press freedom groups say that vulnerability increases when disputes over reporting are immediately treated as criminal matters. They argue that the first step should be correction, reply, clarification, Press Council review or civil remedy, not arrest and imprisonment.
The government and law enforcement authorities have not publicly announced any special review of Rezanur’s case. There was also no immediate public response from State Minister Mir Shahe Alam to the statements issued by PEN Bangladesh, the Editors’ Council and JMBF.
For now, Rezanur remains in jail, while the other journalists named in the case face legal uncertainty. Press freedom groups say the outcome of the case will be closely watched as an early test of whether Bangladesh’s new political authorities are prepared to protect media freedom in practice, not only in public pledges.
