Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 15 : Bangladeshi journalist Anis Alamgir, known for covering the Iraq war from Baghdad, has been arrested by the country's Detective Branch (DB) police. He is also a former President of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB), a journalists' organisation.
On Sunday evening, while Anis Alamgir was working out at a gym in Dhaka, DB police took him into custody and brought him to their Dhaka office. He was interrogated overnight on Sunday and into Monday afternoon, and was officially shown as arrested in a case on Monday, local media reported.
A Dhaka court has granted police five days to question senior journalist Anis Alamgir in an anti-terror case. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam issued the order on Monday following a hearing on the investigating officer's request for a seven-day remand.
Prosecution Sub-Inspector Shamim Hossain confirmed the matter, local media reported.
Actress Meher Afroz Shaon, fashion model Maria Kisspotta and presenter Imtu Ratish have been named in the case filed with Uttara West Police, accusing them of conspiring to destabilise the country and inciting a banned organisation, Awami League, the reports said.
The case was recorded based on a complaint submitted by Aryan Ahmed, who identified himself as a member of an organisation called the July Revolutionary Alliance, after which the Sheikh Hasina government was toppled. He lodged the allegations under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The allegations relate mainly to online activities.
According to a BBC Bangla report, "Anis Alamgir has frequently been criticising various activities of the interim government on social media. As a result, his arrest has raised the question: does this arrest signal that the government will no longer tolerate criticism?"
Maria Kisspotta, a fashion model and an accused in the case, told ANI, "I am very frightened and I might even be arrested, so I will stay a bit low-key for now and I am getting updates on the case through a lawyer." Kisspotta had also been criticising the government on social media.
Editors, reporters and human rights groups have expressed concern over the arrest of journalist Anis Alamgir and have asked the interim government for his immediate release.