Charges of extortion, laid against the editor of Sheershanews.com, a Bangladeshi news portal, is nothing new in Bangladesh - especially when the rich and powerful need to teach some lesson to somebody who is annoying or causing problem for them. It's an overused tool of harassment.
Perhaps, some of them of forgotten that in 2008, the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also arrested on charges of extortion. At least, three extortion cases were lodged against her - and one of the accusers was a member of her party who also sought nominations from her Awami League in the following elections. Similar extortion cases were also lodged against two sons of former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia and several other leading politicians.
All those extortion cases against leading politicians filed by some millionaires during the army-backed caretaker government were either withdrawn well before the general election in 2008 or quashed by the High Court later. And, surprisingly enough, all of the accusers in their withdrawal petitions before the court claimed that they were coerced by the security agencies to file those cases.
Now, the arrest of an editor of a little-known online portal (Sheershanews editor remanded) has raised a huge buzz in the virtual world of social networks. In the early hours of Sunday someone tweeted ' yet another editor arrested in Bangladesh'. Obviously, the twitting person was referring to the imprisonment of Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman. Undoubtedly, Md Ekramul Haq, editor of Sheershanews.com, now in police remand has become another symbol of conscience and press freedom.
Within hours of his arrest comments appearing on Facebook suggest that the arrest has already started a backfire. One Sanchu Naim wrote ' It seemed the arrest was unnecessary, It would be condemned and termed as politically motivated incident, Ruling party's image in home and abroad likely to suffer another blow ---'. Another comment reads ' So, if you unearth corruptions through your reports, be ready not only for extortion case, but also for arrest and remand. Sheershanews Editor has been charged with extortion after his magazine and online newspaper had a number of reports on corruption, and the honorable court was satisfied to send him on two-day police remand.' There are plenty of examples where accused facing similar charges have been granted bails, but in this particular incident, an editor is not spared from remand.
The arrest of Sheershanews editor follows cancellation of his and some of his colleagues press accreditation cards last week after publication of a series of reports of alleged corruptions against some ministers. In recent weeks, some goons also tried to physically harm him inside the government's administrative headquarter, the Secretariat complex in Dhaka. These isolated developments clearly show a disturbing pattern being developed.
What an irony that the same ruling party , Awami League has brought in new legislation to spare editors and journalists from going to prison on defamation cases. But, it appears to be that the leadership of the ruling party is unable to keep discipline and control over all its functionaries and some of them are determined to go at any length to give lessons to those hacks who dare to defy their warnings.
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