PEC demands punishment for Bangladesh scribe killers

The global organization for media safety and rights, Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), condemns the murder of Bangladeshi journalist Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem (28) and demands exemplary punishments for those responsible. The PEC has voiced its grave worry about the alarming increase in journalists killed around the world this year in a statement.

On 14 April 2022, Cumilla-based journalist Mohiuddin was shot and killed by alleged drug smugglers. Mohiuddin's family said that he used to report on drug dealing in his neighborhood. Mohiuddin provided cops in Bangladesh with a wealth of information regarding narcotics peddlers' movements.

Mohiuddin, the son of a former police officer, worked for the local Bengali daily 'Dainik Cumillar Dak' and for a period for the Ananda television news station. On Wednesday midnight, he was shot by gunmen in the Pachora region near Hyderabadnagar, and he later died in the hospital from his injuries.

“So far in 2022, globally we have lost 45 journalists to assailants. This is a dramatic rise and very worrying as the number of journalists killed last year was only 79. The war in Ukraine,  the conflict triggered by Russia, has claimed 15 victims among media workers and over 20 journalists sustained injuries. On the other hand,  Mexico witnesses the murder of  9 journalists till date,” said PEC President Blaise Lempen.

PEC’s south Asia representative Nava Thakuria lamented that a young Bengali scribe had to lose his life on the eve of Bangladesh New Year. Local journalists have demonstrated their anger against the murder in front of Cumilla Press Club on Friday demanding exemplary punishment to the killers. Lately, four individuals have been arrested by the police suspecting their involvement with Mohiuddin’s cold-blooded murder.

Bangladesh’s eastern neighbour Myanmar has also lost one journalist (Pu Tui Dim) to military atrocities, where as its western neighbour India (Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini and Juned Khan Pathan) and also Pakistan (Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar and Athar Mateen) witnessed the murder of three scribes each since 1 January 2022. However, other south Asian nations like Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), Sri Lanka and Maldives have evaded any murder of media workers till date this year.