Thirteen more cases were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam yesterday for publishing ‘confusing’ and ‘defamatory’ reports in his daily about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker regime, UNB reports. Of the cases, 11 were filed on defamation while the rest two on sedition charges. In Sherpur, former president of district BCL Anwarul Hasan Utpal filed a sedition case with the court of Sherpur Chief Judicial Magistrate Saifur Rahman.  The court asked the officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station to take the case after taking permission from the Home Ministry. In Habiganj, Sheikh Moktar Hossain Benu, general secretary of district unit Krishak League, filed a case against Mahfuz Anam on charge of sedition with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Nishat Sultana. The court fixed April 18 for the next hearing. Two defamation cases were filed in Barisal. Advocate Rafiqul Islam Khokon, member of Bangabandhu Ainjibi Parishad, and Advocate Quayum Khan Kaisar filed the Tk-100 crore cases each with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
In Comilla, Abu Taiyab Api, president of Comilla South District unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, filed a case with the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Cognisance Court-1 Joynab Begum, while Tariqul Islam Nayan, president of Daudkandi upazila unit BCL, filed another case with the Senior Judicial Magistrate Cognisance Court-3.
In Jessore, ex-president of Chougachha upazila unit Awami League Shahjahan Kabir filed a Tk-10 crore defamation case with the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court. Taking the cognisance of the complaint, the court asked the English daily editor to appear before it by March 6. Anwar Hossain, general secretary of district unit BCL, filed another case with the court of Jessore Sadar Cognisance Court Abu Ibrahim.
In Satkhira, assistant public prosecutor (APP) Advocate Sahedur Rahman filed a case with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mahidul Haque. The court summoned Mahfuz Anam to appear before it.
In Bagerhat, district BCL president Monir Hossain filed a Tk-10,000 crore defamation case with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Zahidul Azad.
In Jhalakati, adv Bony Amin Baklai, a member of Jhalakati Bar Association, filed a Tk-5 crore case with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate. In Kushtia, Adasul Haq Soleman, president of district unit ‘Amra Mujib Shena’, filed a Tk-50,000 crore defamation case with the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sazedur Rahman. In Lalmonirhat, general secretary of district unit Swechchhasebak League adv Shariful Islam Raju filed a Tk-100 crore case with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Cognisance Court-1 Mehedi Hasan. Earlier, 27 more cases were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam in different parts of the country. According to the complainants, Mahfuz Anam published reports against Awami League President Sheikh Hasina based on information provided by DGFI without any scrutiny in 2007. The editor of the leading English daily in a television talk-show confessed to running such stories in his newspaper. Meanwhile, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said “the attempts to pursue ‘coordinated legal proceedings’ against The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam was a clear attempt to intimidate the media and muzzle press freedom” in Bangladesh. “The IFJ is seriously concerned by the legal harassment of Mahfuz Anam as result of reporting in the public interest at a time of political crisis,” the IFJ said in a press statement yesterday.