The Law Reporters Forum (LRF), a platform for journalists covering law, justice and human rights, on Sunday condemned the increasing practice of filing unfounded cases against journalists, characterising it as a serious violation of the rule of law and a direct assault on freedom of expression.
In a statement, LRF acting president Hasan Zabed and general secretary Moneruzzaman Mission denounced the recent spate of cases filed against journalists, noting the lack of specificity in the charges, a clear breach of legal standards.
They emphasised that the filing of criminal cases鈥攅specially murder charges鈥攚ithout precise allegations and supporting evidence contravenes the fundamental principles of justice, such as due process and the presumption of innocence, enshrined in Bangladesh鈥檚 Constitution and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
They further cited that such misuse of the legal system can be considered an abuse of process, which undermines both the integrity of the legal system and the protection guaranteed under Article 39 of the Constitution鈥攚hich safeguards freedom of speech and press freedom.
The LRF urged judicial and law enforcement authorities to conduct thorough investigations before lodging cases against journalists.
They emphasised that the legal process must not be misused to target independent journalism without a factual basis.
They called for any baseless charges to be promptly dismissed, warning that this trend threatens not only the right to a fair trial but also press freedom, a cornerstone of democratic governance and accountability.
鈥楽uch actions are detrimental to the rule of law and undermine the vital role of the media in holding power to account,鈥� the organisation concluded.