Violence against journos: 12 killed in 4 years

A total of 12 journalists were killed, 596 injured and 211 others assaulted during the last four and a half years across the country from January 2009 to June 2013, according a rights group report. The report says three journalists were abducted, 74 fell victims to attacks and 105 were sued during the period, showing a rising trend in violence against journalists.
Odhikar, the human rights organisation, compiled the statistics from reports published in different national and local dailies across the country.
According to Odhikar’s statistics, 94 journalists were injured, 24  threatened, seven  attacked, 30 assaulted, five arrested and 10 journalists were sued across the country from January 1 to June 30 this year.
Odhikar termed the year 2012 as a bad year for journalists when five journalists were killed.  No journalist was killed in 2011, while four journalists were killed in 2010 and three others in 2009.
The journalists and the media continue to be victims to attacks, physical assaults, threats and intimidation from different powerful quarters, especially the government and the ruling party leaders and activists across the country.
From January to December 2012, according to Odhikar’s documented statistics,  apart from the five journalists killed, 161 journalists were injured, 63 threatened, 10 attacked and 50 others  were assaulted.
The most sensational journalist killing took place on February 11, 2012 when Sagar Sarwar, News Editor of private channel Maasranga TV, and his wife Meherun Runi, senior reporter of another private television channel ATN Bangla, were killed at their rented flat at West Rajabazar in Dhaka city.
The journalist community has been demanding the arrest of killers since the gruesome murder. Though Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has claimed the arrest of several persons in connection with the killing, but the main culprit still remained at large.
A total of 139 journalists were injured, 53 threatened, 24 attacked, 43 assaulted and cases filed against 23 from January to December 2011 for professional reasons.
Over the 12 months in 2010, four journalists were killed, 118 injured, 49 threatened, 43 assaulted and 17 attacked.
Senior journalist and regional correspondent of Shaptahik 2000 in Sylhet Foteh Osmani, who was stabbed by a group of criminals on April 18, succumbed to his injuries at Apollo Hospital in Dhaka on 28 April 2010.
He was attacked with sharp weapons by criminals in front of the Eidgah in Sylhet while he was returning home from the Doladoli area of the city along with a friend.
A total of three journalists were killed, 84 journalists injured, 73 threatened, 45 assaulted and 16 attacked during the 12 months in 2009, the report says. (Source: UNB)

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