Bangladesh Journalist Kajol freed from jail after seven months
Photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol hugging his son Monorom Polok outside Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj after being released on Friday, December 25, 2020. Photo: collected
Bangladesh Desk:
Photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol has been released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
His lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua confirmed the matter through a Facebook post at around 11:30am on Friday.
“Monorom Polok’s (Kajol’s son) struggle for his father’s release will definitely inspire others,” Jyotirmoy added in his post
On December 17, the High Court granted Kajol bail in two cases filed under the Digital Security Act.
The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order.
On November 24, the same bench granted bail to Kajol in another case filed under the Digital Security Act. However, he was not freed from jail for being shown arrested in the other two cases.
On March 9, Awami League lawmaker from Magura 1 constituency Saifuzzaman Shikhor lodged a case against Kajol and 31 others, including Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, on charges of publishing a report with false information regarding expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Noor Papia – who had been arrested back in February on charges of smuggling counterfeit notes, and sentenced to jail in October in an arms case – and circulating it on social media.
Kajol, who had previously worked as a photojournalist at national dailies such as Dainik Samakal and Banik Barta, is the editor of the fortnightly magazine Pokkhokal.
Two more cases were also filed against him under the same act with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations in Dhaka on March 10 and 11, respectively.
On March 10, Kajol went missing after leaving his office. After a 53-day disappearance, he turned up in police custody on May 3 after the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested him on charges of trespassing on the Benapole border in Jessore.
Shown formally arrested in the cases, Kajol had been in jail since then.
Meanwhile, Jail superintendent Subas Kumar Ghosh told New Age that they released Kajol at 11:10am after his bail orders reached the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj in the morning.
In response to Shafiqul Islam Kajol’s release from prison, Saad Hammadi, Amnesty International’s South Asia campaigner said: “It’s a relief to know that Kajol has been freed, after two months of disappearance and seven months in detention for his posts on Facebook.
“We hope that the authorities will drop the cases against Kajol, and release all those who have been detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression in line with Bangladesh’s commitments under the international human rights law.”
He also said: “The Digital Security Act in its current form does not define the necessity and proportionality of the penalties, as articulated in the framework of the international human rights law with regards to the restriction on freedom of expression.
“As a result, state agencies can still abuse the law, with no safeguards in place for people to seek redress for such violations. The authorities must immediately repeal the Digital Security Act unless it can be amended in compliance with the international human rights law, and in consultation with members of the media and civil society.”
Dhaka Tribune, New Age
