Hasan Mehedi
Dhaka/Geneva/Washington: A young reporter has been killed in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka during a nationwide protest demonstration against the job quota system in the South Asian nation.
Hasan Mehedi (35), who worked for the Bangla digital media outlet Dhaka Times, was killed while covering the clashes that erupted between the police forces and agitating students in the Jatrabari area of Dhaka on July 18, 2024 – a day when students were on road against the job quota issue. The military had to be brought in to control the protestors and reports suggest more than 50 people were killed on July 18, adding to the seven who were killed on July 16.
In Washington, a United States State Department spokesperson said the US was monitoring the reports of violence from the ongoing protests in and around Dhaka.
“Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are essential building blocks to any thriving democracy, and we condemn the recent acts of violence in Bangladesh. Our thoughts are with those who have been killed or injured by this, and we’re continuing to rely on media and contacts on the ground for information,” Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, told reporters. He added, “…we need to make sure that the – any kind of freedom of expression is happening safely and people are free from violence. That’s something we’re continuing to pay close attention to…”
Meanwhile, Dhaka Times management confirmed that Hasan was killed by a bullet injury in his head. He has become the 72nd journalist across the world since January 1, 2024, to be killed.
“We demand a fair probe into the incident that led to the killing of Hasan Mehedi in Dhaka. As the populous country is burning with anti-reservation protests by young people that killed nearly 40 people, the authorities must take precautions to safeguard the media persons on the ground. The journalists in Bangladesh continue to work in an adverse situation because of many laws formulated by Dhaka in recent years. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina must look into the matter seriously and also adequately compensate the bereaved family as early as possible,” said Blaise Lempen, president of Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, in Geneva today.
PEC’s South Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that many Bangla media outlets have remained unresponsive since yesterday when the country witnessed massive protests by the student community.
Mehedi becomes the first journalist to be killed this year in Bangladesh. Its neighbour Myanmar lost one scribe (Ko Myat Thu Tun) to military atrocities during this period. Another neighbour, India, witnessed the killing of two journalists namely Shivshankar Jha and Ashutosh Shrivastava. On the other hand, Pakistan lost eight journalists namely Hassan Zaib, Khalil Afridi Jibran, Nasrullah Gadani, Kamran Dawar, Mehar Ashfaq Siyal, Maulana Mohammad Siddique Mengal, Jam Saghir Ahmad Lar and Tahira Nosheen Rana to assailants this year. Incidentally, in Pakistan, several journalists have now started using the term “emergency,” which basically implies martial law in the country, particularly after former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was banned on July 15, 2024. Imran has been in jail since August last year and the Pakistan government claimed his party was involved in anti-state activities. Imran’s party was banned after the Pakistan Supreme Court ruled last week that 20 Pakistan National Assembly seats be handed over to PTI.
– global bihari bureau
