UNESCO for update on 4 journo killings

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has asked the Bangladesh government to provide updated information on the unresolved cases of the killing of four journalists -- Sagar Sarwar, Mehrun Nahar Runi, Bellal Hossain Dafadar and Jamal Uddin -- to its headquarters soon.
The director of the Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development of the UN body has recently sent a letter to M Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to France and permanent delegate of the country to UNESCO, seeking information about the cases, sources in the ministries of foreign affairs and home said.
After receiving the letter, the first secretary of the Bangladesh Embassy in France and permanent delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO, Farhana Ahmed Chowdhury, sent it to the foreign ministry and the ministry of home affairs, urging them to send an updated report on the killing of the four journalists, the sources added.
According to the letter, UNESCO, which has 195 members and nine associate members, requested that it be provided the status of legal investigations being conducted into the cases so that the UN body’s director general might place the report before the 38th session of the general conference, to be held in November this year.
Speaking to The Independent, a senior home ministry official said a report on the matter would be sent to the UNESCO headquarters through the ministry of foreign affairs after getting the updated information on the cases from law enforcement agencies.
“We sent letters to the police headquarters last week, asking them to send a report on the issue as soon as possible,” he said.
Of the four journalists, Maasranga Television news editor Golam Sarwar, alias Sagar Sarwar, and his wife, ATN Bangla senior reporter Mehrun Runi, were found dead in their rented apartment in the city’s West Rajabazar area on February 11, 2012.
Bellal Hossain of Satkhira was killed on September 15, 2006, while Md Jamal Uddin, Kashipur correspondent of Dainik Gramer Kagoj in Jessore, was killed by miscreants on June 16, 2012.
Even after four years, intelligence agencies are still in the dark about the assailants of Sagar Sarwar and Mehrun Runi. The case is now being investigated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). A US laboratory has confirmed the presence of two men through DNA tests after scrutinising evidence collected from the spot of occurrence as supplied by the designated investigation agency. However, the investigation agency is yet to find the killers.
In the killing of Bellal Hossain, law enforcement agencies have so far arrested 12 people.
One person, involved in the killing of Md Jamal Uddin, is now in jail and three others arrested in connection with the incident are now out on bail.

UNESCO for update on 4 journo killings

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has asked the Bangladesh government to provide updated information on the unresolved cases of the killing of four journalists -- Sagar Sarwar, Mehrun Nahar Runi, Bellal Hossain Dafadar and Jamal Uddin -- to its headquarters soon. The director of the Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development of the UN body has recently sent a letter to M Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to France and permanent delegate of the country to UNESCO, seeking information about the cases, sources in the ministries of foreign affairs and home said. After receiving the letter, the first secretary of the Bangladesh Embassy in France and permanent delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO, Farhana Ahmed Chowdhury, sent it to the foreign ministry and the ministry of home affairs, urging them to send an updated report on the killing of the four journalists, the sources added. According to the letter, UNESCO, which has 195 members and nine associate members, requested that it be provided the status of legal investigations being conducted into the cases so that the UN bodys director general might place the report before the 38th session of the general conference, to be held in November this year. Speaking to The Independent, a senior home ministry official said a report on the matter would be sent to the UNESCO headquarters through the ministry of foreign affairs after getting the updated information on the cases from law enforcement agencies. We sent letters to the police headquarters last week, asking them to send a report on the issue as soon as possible, he said. Of the four journalists, Maasranga Television news editor Golam Sarwar, alias Sagar Sarwar, and his wife, ATN Bangla senior reporter Mehrun Runi, were found dead in their rented apartment in the citys West Rajabazar area on February 11, 2012. Bellal Hossain of Satkhira was killed on September 15, 2006, while Md Jamal Uddin, Kashipur correspondent of Dainik Gramer Kagoj in Jessore, was killed by miscreants on June 16, 2012. Even after four years, intelligence agencies are still in the dark about the assailants of Sagar Sarwar and Mehrun Runi. The case is now being investigated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). A US laboratory has confirmed the presence of two men through DNA tests after scrutinising evidence collected from the spot of occurrence as supplied by the designated investigation agency. However, the investigation agency is yet to find the killers. In the killing of Bellal Hossain, law enforcement agencies have so far arrested 12 people. One person, involved in the killing of Md Jamal Uddin, is now in jail and three others arrested in connection with the incident are now out on bail.