Journalist Shafik Rehman arrested

Placed on 5-day remand; he plotted to kill me, says PM son Joy

The Detective Branch (DB) of the police yesterday arrested senior journalist and former editor of daily Jai Jai Din Shafik Rehman over an alleged plot to abduct and kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. The 81-year-old journalist was later placed on a 5-day remand.
Rehman, who became the convenor of the international affairs committee of BNP and headed a pro-opposition think-tank named G-9, was picked up from his house in the capital’s Eskaton area in the morning.
Rehman, who now edits a Bengali monthly magazine called Mouchake Dhil, is the third pro-BNP editor to have been arrested after Mahmudur Rahman and Shawkat Mahmood. Mahmud and Shawkat were charged in criminal lawsuits including dozens of defamation and sedition cases.
Rehman’s wife Taleya Rehman alleged that the detectives had entered their house after introducing themselves as journalists of Boishakhi Television, a private media channel, around 6 am.
They told the caretaker of the house that they wanted to interview Rehman and sent him a visiting card of the channel through the caretaker, she added.
When Rehman came down from the upstairs around 8am, he was picked up in a microbus that was waiting in front of his house, said Taleya.
Police later announced that Rehman, who is also a British citizen and was formerly a speechwriter for Khaleda Zia, had been arrested.
Deputy commissioner of DMP Maruf Hossain Sarder initially told news agency AFP that Rehman was arrested for sedition, but later said the charge was “conspiracy to commit crime”.
Officers said they had found evidence linking the editor to a plot to murder Joy, who lives mainly in the United States, in a case filed in August.
“He (Rehman) visited the US in 2013 and took part in the conspiracy against Joy,” AFP quoted Maruf as saying. Police found “connections in a conspiracy to abduct and murder” the premier’s son, according to MR Khaled, another deputy police commissioner.
Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Hasan Arafat, investigation officer in the case, later produced him before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mazharul Islam and pleaded for a seven-day remand for Rehman, but the court granted his remand for five days.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy yesterday said senior “journalist” Shafik Rehman has been arrested for Rehman’s alleged involvement in a plot to kidnap and kill him in the US, reports UNB.
“Today our Government arrested a senior "journalist" and opposition BNP leader Shafik Rehman for his involvement in a plot to kidnap and kill me in the US,” he wrote on his official Facebook page on Saturday night.
A US BNP leader's son, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and another American friend of both are already serving terms in the US in connection with the plot to kill him, Joy mentioned in his Facebook post.
Joy suggested his followers to read directly from the US DOJ's press release. “I'm not sure about the "prominent" part but I am the "citizen of Bangladesh" mentioned there.”
At the beginning of his post, Joy wrote, “How often do you actually get someone trying to kill you? In my case, apparently more often than even I am aware of, it's not because I'm a criminal or even a bad guy. It just so happens that my mother is in politics in Bangladesh and I help her from time to time.”
“It is also because our opposition party is of a particularly violent criminal bent and is allied with the largest fundamentalist party in the country with direct ties to ISIS,” he added.
Khaleda wants release of Rehman
Demanding immediate release of the senior journalist, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said the “illegal” Sheikh Hasina government had declared war against the country’s people.
She alleged that at the expense of the state machinery, the government has been continuing its repression of eminent journalists, editors and opposition leaders and workers, implicating them in false and fabricated cases.
Khaleda made the statement in a media release hours after the DB arrested the Rehman from his home in the capital yesterday morning.
Castigating the Hasina administration, she said the noted journalist was actually arrested to stop his articles against the “autocratic ruler’s repression, failures and misdeeds”. Another intention was to “tame him”, which is an outcome of the “despotic attitude” of the government.
“I want to tell unequivocally that you (Sheikh Hasina) should respect the democratic rights of the people and their freedom of speech. Don’t destroy the peace and stability of the country. You will never be able to tame a pen-fighter like Shafik Rehman by oppressing him. Your government has become isolated from the people,” Khaleda said in her news release.
Talking to reporters in Thakurgaon, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also demanded immediate release of Rehman.
He said the way in which Rehman was picked up by plainclothes policemen showed that there was no presence of democracy in the country. “We are worried seeing this incident (of his arrest). It shows that there is no freedom of speech and of writing in the country,” he added.
At a press conference at the central office of BNP at Nayapaltan in the city, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi demanded the release of both Rehman and MA Mannan, who has just been reinstated as the Gazipur city mayor by the apex court.
“Those who write about the misrule of the Hasina government are no longer safe,” he said.
Rizvi also threatened to launch a tough movement against the government if it did not immdiately withdraw “false and fabricated” cases against Rehman and BNP leader Mannan.
“Those who are fighting to establish democracy in the country are not safe. If such an eminent citizen can be arrested, then what about the security of the common people?” he remarked.
Referring to Mannan’s re-arrest, Rizvi said since the “illegal” government had come to power without people’s votes, it cannot tolerate any elected representative. Gazipur mayor Mannan was re-arrested on Friday night after completing a year in prison recently.

 

 

Journalist Shafik Rehman arrested

Placed on 5-day remand; he plotted to kill me, says PM son Joy

The Detective Branch (DB) of the police yesterday arrested senior journalist and former editor of daily Jai Jai Din Shafik Rehman over an alleged plot to abduct and kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. The 81-year-old journalist was later placed on a 5-day remand. Rehman, who became the convenor of the international affairs committee of BNP and headed a pro-opposition think-tank named G-9, was picked up from his house in the capitals Eskaton area in the morning. Rehman, who now edits a Bengali monthly magazine called Mouchake Dhil, is the third pro-BNP editor to have been arrested after Mahmudur Rahman and Shawkat Mahmood. Mahmud and Shawkat were charged in criminal lawsuits including dozens of defamation and sedition cases. Rehmans wife Taleya Rehman alleged that the detectives had entered their house after introducing themselves as journalists of Boishakhi Television, a private media channel, around 6 am. They told the caretaker of the house that they wanted to interview Rehman and sent him a visiting card of the channel through the caretaker, she added. When Rehman came down from the upstairs around 8am, he was picked up in a microbus that was waiting in front of his house, said Taleya. Police later announced that Rehman, who is also a British citizen and was formerly a speechwriter for Khaleda Zia, had been arrested. Deputy commissioner of DMP Maruf Hossain Sarder initially told news agency AFP that Rehman was arrested for sedition, but later said the charge was conspiracy to commit crime. Officers said they had found evidence linking the editor to a plot to murder Joy, who lives mainly in the United States, in a case filed in August. He (Rehman) visited the US in 2013 and took part in the conspiracy against Joy, AFP quoted Maruf as saying. Police found connections in a conspiracy to abduct and murder the premiers son, according to MR Khaled, another deputy police commissioner. Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Hasan Arafat, investigation officer in the case, later produced him before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mazharul Islam and pleaded for a seven-day remand for Rehman, but the court granted his remand for five days. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy yesterday said senior journalist Shafik Rehman has been arrested for Rehmans alleged involvement in a plot to kidnap and kill him in the US, reports UNB. Today our Government arrested a senior journalist and opposition BNP leader Shafik Rehman for his involvement in a plot to kidnap and kill me in the US, he wrote on his official Facebook page on Saturday night. A US BNP leaders son, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and another American friend of both are already serving terms in the US in connection with the plot to kill him, Joy mentioned in his Facebook post. Joy suggested his followers to read directly from the US DOJs press release. Im not sure about the prominent part but I am the citizen of Bangladesh mentioned there. At the beginning of his post, Joy wrote, How often do you actually get someone trying to kill you? In my case, apparently more often than even I am aware of, its not because Im a criminal or even a bad guy. It just so happens that my mother is in politics in Bangladesh and I help her from time to time. It is also because our opposition party is of a particularly violent criminal bent and is allied with the largest fundamentalist party in the country with direct ties to ISIS, he added. Khaleda wants release of Rehman Demanding immediate release of the senior journalist, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said the illegal Sheikh Hasina government had declared war against the countrys people. She alleged that at the expense of the state machinery, the government has been continuing its repression of eminent journalists, editors and opposition leaders and workers, implicating them in false and fabricated cases. Khaleda made the statement in a media release hours after the DB arrested the Rehman from his home in the capital yesterday morning. Castigating the Hasina administration, she said the noted journalist was actually arrested to stop his articles against the autocratic rulers repression, failures and misdeeds. Another intention was to tame him, which is an outcome of the despotic attitude of the government. I want to tell unequivocally that you (Sheikh Hasina) should respect the democratic rights of the people and their freedom of speech. Dont destroy the peace and stability of the country. You will never be able to tame a pen-fighter like Shafik Rehman by oppressing him. Your government has become isolated from the people, Khaleda said in her news release. Talking to reporters in Thakurgaon, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also demanded immediate release of Rehman. He said the way in which Rehman was picked up by plainclothes policemen showed that there was no presence of democracy in the country. We are worried seeing this incident (of his arrest). It shows that there is no freedom of speech and of writing in the country, he added. At a press conference at the central office of BNP at Nayapaltan in the city, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi demanded the release of both Rehman and MA Mannan, who has just been reinstated as the Gazipur city mayor by the apex court. Those who write about the misrule of the Hasina government are no longer safe, he said. Rizvi also threatened to launch a tough movement against the government if it did not immdiately withdraw false and fabricated cases against Rehman and BNP leader Mannan. Those who are fighting to establish democracy in the country are not safe. If such an eminent citizen can be arrested, then what about the security of the common people? he remarked. Referring to Mannans re-arrest, Rizvi said since the illegal government had come to power without peoples votes, it cannot tolerate any elected representative. Gazipur mayor Mannan was re-arrested on Friday night after completing a year in prison recently.