Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi journalist. He is an editor of the Bangladeshi tabloid Blitz. In 2014, he was convicted of carrying documents provoking interreligious friction, and in 2015 of embezzlement.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury | |
|---|---|
সালাহ উদ্দিন শোয়েব চৌধুরী | |
 Choudhury in 2011 | |
| Born | 1965 or 1966 (age 58–59)[1] |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Criminal charge(s) | Smuggling information out of the country,[2] sedition[3] Money Fraud |
| Criminal penalty | Imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Imprisoned for 7 years,[4] 3 months[2] and for 4 years[3] |
Journalism
editChoudhury is the editor and owner of the English language newspaper Blitz,[5][6] and editor-in-chief of Bangla weekly Jamjamat. Blitz is a tabloid which has been published every Wednesday since 2003 by Choudhury.[7]
The tabloid states that it watches, investigates, and focuses on Islamist militancy groups; and that it defends religious minority groups in Bangladesh.[8]
Prosecutions and assaults
editChoudhury was arrested on 29 November 2003 when he tried to attend a seminar in Tel Aviv at the invitation of the International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace. He was charged with smuggling country information, sedition, treason, and blasphemy in 2003, and a case was filed against him on 24 January 2004 by Mohammad Abdul Hanif, head of Airport Police Station of Dhaka, who claimed that he was a Mossad agent based on the documents found in his possession.[9] Choudhury faced charges of smuggling information out of country, money fraud,[10] sedition, treason, blasphemy, and espionage since January 2004 for attempting to attend a conference of the Hebrew Writers' Association in Tel Aviv. He violated the Passport Act by attempting to travel to Israel in November 2003; the Act forbids citizens from visiting countries with which Bangladesh does not maintain diplomatic relations, and is usually punishable with a fine. On 29 November, he was taken into police custody and allegedly blindfolded, beaten and interrogated for ten days in an attempt to extract a confession that he was an Israeli spy.[11] He spent the next 17 months in solitary confinement and was denied medical treatment for his glaucoma. On the intervention of US Congressman Mark Kirk, who spoke to Bangladesh's ambassador to the US, Choudhury was released on bail, though the charges were not dropped.[12]
In July 2006, the office of Choudhury's newspaper was bombed by Islamist militants.[13][14]
In October 2006, a mob stormed the Blitz' offices and beat Choudhury, fracturing his ankle.[15] According to Bret Stephens, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, in September of the same year, despite the government's reluctance to prosecute, a judge with Islamist connections ordered the case to continue because Choudhury had "spoil[ed] the image of Bangladesh" and "hurt the sentiments of Muslims" by lauding Jews and Christians.[16] After the police detail that had been posted to the offices had left, the offices were ransacked and Choudhury was badly beaten by a mob. When he lodged a formal complaint with the police, an arrest warrant was issued for him. The US Embassy in Dhaka sent an observer to his trial.[citation needed][12]
Choudhury later lodged a case in the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate against his attackers, most of whom were affiliated with the Cultural Wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).[citation needed][16]
On 18 March 2008, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) abducted Choudhury from his office at gunpoint. He was blindfolded and taken to an RAB office before being released. Series of written complaints were sent with the military-controlled interim government on this incident, but action was never taken by the Bangladesh authorities against the RAB.[17][18][19][20]
On 22 February 2009, armed men claiming to belong to the Awami League entered Choudhury's office, ransacked it, and physically assaulted him and other members of the Blitz newspaper.[21]
n March 2011, Aryeh Yosef Gallin, the founder and president of the Root and Branch Association (a nonprofit group that promotes cooperation between Israel and other nations), expelled Choudhury from its Islam-Israel Fellowship after reports accused the Bangladeshi of swindling "emotionally vulnerable single Jewish ladies" out of tens of thousands of dollars.[1][22]
On 7 November 2012, the Dhaka court sent Choudhury to jail in connection to an embezzlement case filed by his business partner Sajjad Hossain, chairman of Bangladesh Center for International Studies. He was convicted in 2015 by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court and sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment.[23][24]
On 9 January 2014, he was convicted by a Dhaka court of sedition under section 505 (A) of Bangladesh's Penal Code.[9][25] He was convicted and sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment by the Bangladeshi court for carrying documents provoking interreligious friction, relating to his attempt to travel to Israel.[26][27][28]
The campaign to get the government of Bangladesh to drop all charges against Choudhury was led by Dr. Richard Benkin. Benkin, like Choudhury, is an advisory board member of the Islam-Israel Fellowship.[citation needed][29]
Other controversies
editChoudhury has been accused by Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star of falsely claiming that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party launched "India out movement".[30] In September 2024, the Indian National Congress lodged a police complaint against Choudhury for allegedly spreading fake news against their leaders.[31]
References
edit- ^ a b Luxner, Larry (13 June 2012). "The unfathomable life of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Man with 'Mosad links' held at ZIA". The Daily Star. 30 November 2003. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ a b ""Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury"". Refworld(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "Bangladesh editor jailed for seven years over Israel visit". Dawn. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Khan, Omer Farooq (14 November 2012). "Editor of tabloid that alleged Hina-Bilawal affair arrested". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Freund, Michael (17 October 2006). "Pro-Israeli editor beaten in Bangladesh". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Bracing For The Blitz: The Religious Right Has A New Game Plan To Make America More to Its Liking – and If It's Not Already in Your State, It Will Be Soon Archived 3 February 2019 at archive.today;
- ^ "Why Forces Intelligence attacked Weekly Blitz office in Bangladesh?". ModernGhana.com. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Shoaib jailed for sedition". The Daily Star. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ "Blitz editor arrested in fraud case". Dominica News Online. 9 November 2012. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2003 Archived 20 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 25 February 2004
- ^ a b Darkness in Dhaka – A gadfly Bangladeshi journalist runs for his life Archived 16 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine by Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal, 15 October 2006
- ^ Press release by Committee to Protect Journalists.
- ^ Albrechtsen, Janet (15 November 2006). "No tolerance for love and mercy in Bangladesh". The Australian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ^ Freund, Michael (3 November 2006). "US slams trial of Bangladeshi newsman". Holiday International. Archived from the original on 25 March 2007.
On October 5, a mob stormed the premises of Choudhury's newspaper and beat him, fracturing his ankle.
- ^ a b Stephens, Bret (10 October 2006). "Darkness in Dhaka". Wall Street Journal (Opinion). p. A15. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ^ McLeod, Judi. "Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion swoops down on Salah Choudhury". Canada Free Press. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Assam Times - RAB's terror in Bangladesh". 13 November 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011.
- ^ "Bangladesh on Trial". The Wall Street Journal (Editorial). 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Stephens, Bret (10 October 2006). "Darkness in Dhaka". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ^ Benkin, Dr Richard. "Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury Attacked by Goons". Canada Free Press. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Luxner, Larry; Fabian, Emanuel (13 June 2012). "The unfathomable life of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Blitz editor sent to jail". The Daily Observer. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Blitz editor sent to jail". The Daily Star. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ "Journalist gets seven-year jail sentence for decade-old articles | Reporters without borders". RSF. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ Winer, Stuart. "Bangladesh editor gets 7 years for attempted Israel trip". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Bangladesh editor jailed for seven years over Israel visit". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Tipu, Sanaul Islam (9 January 2014). "Mysterious Salah Uddin Shoaib gets 7-year jail". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Bio of Dr. Richard Benkin Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Interfaith Strength
- ^ Shishir, Qadaruddin (1 February 2024). "Fact-check: Did BNP really launch an 'India Out' campaign?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Bengaluru police book Bangladeshi journalist and Jaipur Dialogues for spreading fake news against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi". The Indian Express. 2 September 2024.