প্রিন্ট এর তারিখঃ মে ৮, ২০২৪, ৯:৫৯ এ.এম || প্রকাশের তারিখঃ এপ্রিল ১৫, ২০২২, ৮:১২ পূর্বাহ্ণ
Bangladeshi journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani hand was broken on the orders of Barisal City Mayor: Three fingers were broken: He did not get good treatment in prison: Two fingers are now useless
Special Correspondent: Mamunur Rashid Nomani, Prominent Media Organizer, Senior Journalist, Editor of Barisal Khabar and Chief News Editor of Daily Shahnama, Barisal Division of Bangladesh.
At the behest of Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, general secretary of the ruling party's Awami League's Barisal metropolitan committee and mayor of the Barisal City Corporation, Awami League and Chhatra League cadres beat him with iron rods and broke his arm. Journalist Nomani's three fingers were broken. He did not receive any treatment in prison. After being released on bail, he took first aid. Now two fingers are going to be useless as there is no good treatment financially. In addition, the beating of the iron rod has caused problems in different parts of the body. Doctors said Nomaki needed better treatment.
They beat Nomani with an iron rod and handed her over to the police. He was tortured in court and sent to jail without being presented in court. Nomani was in jail for 14 days after a legal battle. He was released on bail after 14 days.
Mamunur Rashid Nomani, a senior journalist in the Barisal division of Bangladesh, has published numerous articles on corruption, irregularities and human rights. Nomani is a professional and courageous journalist. Corrupt people and terrorists are terrified because of his news. Nomani is also known as an enemy journalist to drug dealers due to his anti-drug news.
Journalist Nomani was tortured by Sadiq Abdullah, General Secretary of Barisal Metropolitan Branch of the ruling party Awami League and Barisal City Mayor while collecting news at around 10:30 pm on September 12, 2020. At the behest of Barisal City Corporation Mayor Sadiq Abdullah, Barisal Metropolitan Awami League Organizing Secretary and Councilor of Ward 21 Sheikh Saeed Ahmed Manna, Chhatra League Cadre Rais Ahmed Manna, Atiqullah Munim, Rajib, Milon and a terrorist group of about 8/9 people were killed. He broke his arm. He was beaten to death. At that time they say more news against us. Mayor Sadiq Abdullah then said why write news against me. Now I will break your arms and legs.
After that, the mayor of Barisal City Corporation Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah grabbed the collar of journalist Nomani's shirt and took her to Kirtankhola river and drowned her in water. After rising from the river, Barisal City Corporation Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah instructed Councilor Sheikh Saeed Ahmed Manna to break Nomani's arm and leg.
On the instructions of Mayor Sadiq, Councilor Syed Ahmed brought an iron rod from his private car on the banks of Manna river and beat Nomani with iron rods on his hands, legs and back. The second, fourth and fifth fingers of Nomani's left hand were broken due to beating with an iron rod. Due to random beating
Nomani lost consciousness at the scene of the attack. At that time those cadres had firearms in their hands. They called the police
Nomani was handed over to the police in critical condition. Meanwhile, Juba League leaders Kamrul Mridha and Labu, who were with Nomani, were also beaten and handed over to the police.
The injured Nomani was rushed to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital and taken to Barisal Kotwali Police Station.
The attack took place on September 12 at 10:30 pm. The case was recorded at the police station at 1:35 pm and the time of the incident was given as 1:35 pm.
In the case, Councilor Manna filed a case against journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani for taking pictures of the mayor under sections 26 (2) and 33 (2) of the much-discussed and criticized Digital Security Act’18.
On 13 September 20, Nomani was sent to the jail along with Kamrul Mridha and Labu without presenting the injured Nomani in the court.
Journalist Nomani was lodged in Barisal Central Jail for 14 days. No treatment was given in the jail. The terrorists broke the second, fourth and fifth finger of Nomani's left hand by beating her with an iron rod. If the broken finger becomes swollen and very sick, he is taken from the jail to the prison cell of Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for treatment. X-rays showed the doctor that the broken fingers were rotting. After two days of treatment, he was sent to Barisal Central Jail again from the prison cell of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
Councilor Saeed Ahmed Manna filed a case against journalist Nomani at Barisal Kotwali Model Police Station under Sections 26 (2) and 33 (2) of the Digital Security Act, 2018. Case No. 39 of Barisal Kotwali Police Station, GR Case No. 574/2020, Case No. 1308/2020 of District Judge's Court.
When bail was applied to the Barisal Judicial Magistrate's Court, the court did not grant bail. On September 29, 2020, the district judge granted bail to Nomani after her family members applied for bail in the Barisal District Judge's Court.
The case is currently pending. You have to appear in court every month. Although almost two years have passed, the police have not yet filed a chargesheet in the court.
Mamunur Rashid Nomani is the editor of online news portal Barisal Khabar and the chief news editor of the daily Shahnama. Besides, Nomani is the joint-editor of Barisal Metropolitan Press Club, the founding president of Barisal Online Journalists Union and Barisal Online Press Club. Nomani is an active member of numerous human rights, social and humanitarian organizations.
Journalist Nomani has been the target of terrorist threats more than once. Journalist Nomani was seriously injured when the BCL terrorists attacked her in 2011 during a human chain protest against the attack on journalists and lawsuits.
Condemning the arrest and release of journalist Nomani with torture and lawsuits
Numerous media and social organizations including Sammilita Patrakar Parishad, Bangladesh Online Journalist Welfare Union, Bangladesh Online Journalist Association, National Human Rights, , Bangladesh Online Journalist and other human chain have given human chain and statements in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka since 14 September 20.
Lablu, an eyewitness to the incident, said that after receiving instructions from Mayor Sadiq, Councilor Manna beat Nomani with iron rods on his hands, legs and back. He lost consciousness on the spot. Journalist Nomani returned to the hospital.
Hasina Akhter, wife of journalist Nomani, said that on the instructions of Mayor Sadiq Abdullah, the guards beat Nomani with an iron rod. The mayor himself also tried to kill Nomani by drowning her.
Nurul Islam, the then OC loyal to Mayor Sadiq Abdullah, did not allow us to meet Nomani at the police station.
Almighty they are:
Journalist Nomani's wife Hasina Akhter said, "We could not meet Nomani at the police station." Police did not present Nomani before the judge in the court.
I could not even apply for bail in the first week in court for fear of contesting the charges in court or retaliation of the almighty mayor and his cadres. I did not have this fear. Many newspapers in Barisal did not dare to report the truth. Even the newspapers of Barisal did not dare to publish the news of human chain in Dhaka demanding the release of Nomani.
Various media organizations have called on the Bangladesh government to immediately dismiss the false allegations against journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani, take responsibility for his medical expenses and provide him with effective protection.
Journalist Nomani was attacked by the cadres of the ruling party, condemned the case and the arrest and demanded the withdrawal of the case including the release of various human rights organizations.
Journalist Nomani's initial treatment of CPJ and Article 19 collaborated was less than necessary.
After his release from prison, journalist Nomani told local reporters that he was still very concerned for her safety. "I am worried about my safety and I could be in danger at any time," Nomani said.
Terrorists are therefore a threat to the ruling party. Nomani said,
He has to appear in court every month in the case. Police have not yet issued a chargesheet. I am currently suffering from insecurity. Most of the terrorists are threatening to leave the city.
Journalist Mamunur Rashid mentioned in odhikar report about the torture and the case against Nomani ........
“On 12 September, Mamunur Rashid Nomani, Chief News Editor of the daily Shahnama which is published in Barishal, was attacked by Chhatra League leaders Raiz Manna, Sajjad Serniabat, Atiqullah Munim and others, leaving him seriously injured. They later handed him over to the police. A case was filed against Nomani under the Digital Security Act, 2018 by Ward Councilor Sheikh Ahmed. Nomani was released on bail on 29 September” (ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2020 BANGLADESH,page- 38)
Meanwhile, the Asian Human Rights Commission mentioned in their report ....
“ Tortured and Detained Journalist’s Case was Submitted to the UN SR on Torture and Freedom of Expression and Opinion: The AHRC submitted the case of Mamunur Rashid Nomani, a journalist based in Barisal Metropolitan City of Bangladesh, to the the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and to the Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Expression and Opinion. Nomani was tortured in public place by the local city mayor Sadiq Abdullah Serniabat who is a niece to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was detained arbitrarily for two weeks in a fabricated case filed under the Digital Security Act-2018. He got his right hand’s plum fractured due to torture.” (ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, Neglect & Loss 07, VOL: 01 NO: 07)
The CPJ has also published a detailed article on journalist Nomani.
Bangladeshi journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani harassed following 2020 assault, detention
On September 12, 2020, Mamunur Rashid Nomani, chief news editor of privately owned The Daily Shahnama newspaper and editor of the privately owned news website Barisal Khabar, was severely assaulted and detained by local officials and political operatives in the south-central city of Barisal, according to newsreports and Nomani, who spoke to CPJ by phone. The journalist told CPJ in early 2022 that he continued to face legal proceedings and threats because of his reporting on a local mayor of a municipal administration.
On the evening of September 12, 2020, Nomani and his two friends approached and greeted Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, the mayor of the Barisal City Corporation, a municipal administration that oversees the development and maintenance of the city. Abdullah appeared on a Facebook Live in the area earlier that evening.Nomani said that Abdullah slapped him, shouted and cursed at him and his friends, criticized his report published on August 29, 2020, in Barisal Khabar regarding the Barisal City Corporation’s alleged lack of action to address flooding in the city, and accused him of “reporting against [him].”Abdullah was at the scene with around nine of his associates, comprised of Barisal City Corporation employees, and leaders of the ruling Awami League party and Chhatra League organization, the student wing of the Awami League, the journalist said. Abdullah is the general secretary of the Barisal branch of the Awami League, according to Nomani.Abdullah ordered his associates to confiscate the mobile phones of the journalist and his two friends, before Abdullah and his associates submerged the journalist into the Kirtankhola River for several minutes, Nomani said. After taking him out of the water, Abdullah and Syed Ahmed Manna, a ward councilor of the Barisal City Corporation who was present at the scene, beat him repeatedly with an iron rod as four of Abdullah’s associates held him down, according to the journalist.
Throughout the incident, Nomani fell in and out of consciousness, broke three of his fingers, and sustained painful injuries across his body, specifically his head and chest, according to the journalist and copies of his medical reports, which CPJ reviewed.
Nomani told CPJ that he believes Abdullah targeted him due to his report, adding that his two friends were not submerged in the water, nor were they attacked as severely as the journalist.
After the alleged assault, Abdullah’s associates took Nomani and his two friends to Barisal’s Kotwali police station, where he fully regained consciousness, he said, adding that police filed an application at the Barisal Metropolitan Magistrate Court for the three men to be transferred to the Barisal Central Jail, without being produced in front of a magistrate, which would allow the judiciary to assess their state of health.
Syed Ahmed Manna, a ward councilor of the Barisal City Corporation who was present at the scene with Abdullah, filed a complaint against Nomani and his friends, alleging that the three had secretly recorded videos of Abdullah, his wife, and children while they were going for a walk in the area around 1:30 a.m. on September 13, 2020 in violation of the Digital Security Act, according to newsreports and Nomani.
Nomani told CPJ that he denies these allegations and claimed that the alleged assault occurred around 10:30 p.m., and he was brought to the police station before 1:30 a.m., adding that he could not have recorded such videos because Abdullah’s associates confiscated his phone.
Barisal police sent the mobile phones of the three accused to the Dhaka police’s criminal investigation department for forensic review, Nomani said, adding that to date, the department has not produced a forensic report detailing its findings and the phones have not been returned.
Later on September 13, Mohammed Nurul Islam, the then officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station, filed a first information report, the first step of a police investigation, against Nomani and his two friends, according to newsreports and a copy of the report, which CPJ reviewed.
Islam claimed that when Abdullah and his family sensed that they were being filmed, the journalist and his friends attempted to flee, but were chased and arrested by police at the scene, according to those sources.
The first information report accused Nomani and his two friends of violating sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to unauthorized collection of identity information and holding or transferring data illegally, according to those sources.
Each of those sections carry a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine between 50,000 taka (US$582) and 100,000 taka (US$1,164), according to the law.
Nomani did not receive medical attention for his injuries throughout his 17-day detention,according to the journalist, who said that on September 22, the 10th day of his detention, he was taken to a local hospital in Barisal on Abdullah’s instruction, where his broken fingers were x-rayed. The journalist did not receive further medical treatment before he was returned to jail, he said.
It was not until Nomani was released on interim bail on September 29, 2020, that the journalist received medical attention for his broken fingers and other injuries, he said.
The Digital Security Act proceedings against Nomani continue as of early February 2022, and Nomani must appear in court every month, as he has not yet been granted permanent bail, he said, adding that police have yet to file a chargesheet in the case.
Nomani told CPJ that in January 2021 and December 2021, respectively, Abdullah and Manna asked Nomani’s colleagues at The Daily Shahnama if the journalist was still in Barisal and threatened him, saying he should leave the city. Two witnesses supporting Abdullah also approached Nomani and pressured him to leave the city in August 2021 and fall 2021, according to the journalist.
Abdullah did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via email and messaging app. Manna and Azimul Karim, the newly appointed officer-in-charge of Barisal’s Kotwali police station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app. The Awami League, Chhatra League, and media officer of the Dhaka criminal investigation department did not respond to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.
Editor’s note: The third paragraph has been updated to identify Abdullah’s current association with the Barisal Awami League.
Brief description of the case at a glance:
Name of the victim: Mamunur Rashid Nomani.
Number of cases filed under DSA: 1.
Plaintiff in the case: Syed Ahmed Manna, Organizing Secretary of Awami League's Barisal Metropolitan Committee and Councilor of 21st Ward.
Date and place of arrest: 13 September 2020, Trish Godown area, Barisal.
Case number and date: 484, 13/09/2020
Sections of the case: DSA 26 (2) and 33 (2)
Thana: Barisal Kotwali Model Thana.
Type of attack: Beating with a rod and breaking three fingers of the left hand. After the attack, the case was handed over to the police.
Why the attack and the case: On the instructions of Barisal City Mayor Sadiq Abdullah and in his presence, the Awami League and Chhatra League cadres attacked the news and handed it over to the police on September 12 at 10:30 pm. The case was recorded at the police station at 1:35 pm and the time of the incident was given as 1:35 pm. Although one year has passed, the police has not issued the chargesheet till January 15, 2012.
Bailing Authority: District Judge Court, Barisal.
Date of release: September 29, 2020
Current status of the case: No chargesheet has been issued. The case is ongoing.
