July 17, 2000
Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
VIA FAX: 011-88-02-811-3244
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns yesterday's assassination
of veteran journalist Shamsur Rahman, special correspondent of the Bengali-language
national daily Janakantha, and urges your government to ensure
that the perpetrators of this terrible crime are brought to justice.
On July 16 at around 8:20 p.m., two armed men entered Rahman's office
on Jail Road in central Jessore and shot him at point-blank range, firing
one bullet through his forehead and another through his chest, according
to local news reports. Rahman, 43, had been working alone in his office
when his assailants arrived. The gunmen reportedly fled the scene immediately.
Sajed Rahman Bakul, a colleague of Rahman's at Janakantha, had
left the office minutes before the gunmen arrived. He heard the shots
from the street and rushed back with several neighbors. Rahman was pronounced
dead on arrival at Jessore General Hospital.
Rahman regularly reported on the activities of criminal gangs and armed
political groups in and around Jessore. Because of its location close
to the Indian border with southwestern Bangladesh, Jessore is a center
for smuggling operations. Sources at Janakantha told CPJ that Rahman
had periodically received death threats in retaliation for his reporting.
"Rahman was known for his impartiality and for his blunt dismissal of
many of the political groups as being little more than criminal gangs,"
said a BBC report yesterday. Rahman had been a frequent contributor to
the BBC's Bengali-language service.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is dedicated to the defense of our
colleagues around the world, and we are deeply saddened by the murder
of Shamsur Rahman. We are encouraged by Home Minister Mohammed Nasim's
visit to Jessore today and hope that his personal attention to this case
will help guarantee a prompt and thorough investigation into Rahman's
murder.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
Send a letter to:
Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh
VIA FAX: 011-88-02-811-3244