Complainant asked to withdraw case against Al Jazeera

Special Correspondent
A Dhaka court on Tuesday asked the complainant to withdraw a sedition case filed against four people, including Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist and Netra News (Independent World Report) Editor-in-Chief Tasneem Khalil and Hungary-based entrepreneur Zulkarnain Saer Khan alias Sami over a report of Al Jazeera titled “All the Prime Minister’s Men”.Two other accused people are acting Director General of the Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera Mostefa Sowag and British journalist David Bergman on the charge of allegedly spreading “false and fabricated” information under the mentioned headline.
Magistrate Md Shahidul Islam of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka passed as the complainant of the case Advocate Moshiur Malek, founder and executive President of Bangabandhu Foundation, was not authorized by the government to lodge the case.
The story accuses Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed narrating false and fabricated information.
Moshiur Malek, filed the case in the court of Magistrate Magistrate Md Ashek Imam on February 17 while the court recorded the depositions of the complainant. After hearing, the court fixed Tuesday for passing an order on the issue.
In the complainant, Moshiur Malek said Al Jazeera broadcast a report on February 1 which was also published on YouTube and online newspapers.
The report was fictitious, false, fake and flawed and by broadcasting the report, the media network had tarnished the image of the government and the state at home and abroad, which is tantamount to sedition, the complaint added.