The news editor of an online news agency has been released on bail after being held for nearly four months. Ekramul Haq, the editor of recently closed Sheershanews.com, was released from jail in Dhaka at around 4pm, local time, after he was granted bail by the lower court. Haq was arrested on suspicion of extorting Tk 20 lakh (around £17,000) from Chittagong businessman Gias Uddin Talukdar on July 30.
Bangladesh‘s government has passed a new broadcast law which will censor TV programmes and movies. The law, which will go into effect in three months’ time, prevents the broadcasting of content depicting non-Muslim holidays, as well as “kiss scenes” in films on foreign channels.
Muhammad Ekramul Haque, editor and owner of Sheershanews.com and Sheersha Kagoj, was arrested on 31 July by Bangladeshi authorities on a charge of extortion. According to police reports, Haque allegedly threatened to negatively cover a travel agency unless he received 200,000 TK (£1630). In a press release, Sheershanews.com defended the editor, claiming that he was actually arrested for publishing reports on government corruption. The press release also denies the existence of the travel agency.
At least 50 anti-government protesters were jailed in Bangladesh yesterday after the authorities broke up the second general strike staged this month. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Islamic fundamentalist group, Jamaat-e-Islami, are oppposing the planned abolition of a law which requires the government to hand over power to a neutral party for polling once their administration is over. Protesters observing the 36-hour strike have been jailed for up to a month for “creating public disturbance” in the capital, Dhaka.