Célia Mercier, Head of the RSF South Asia Desk of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bangladeshi journalist Monjurul Alam Panna, held arbitrarily since his arrest after participating in a roundtable discussion on 29 August. RSF also stated, “the spurious charges brought against him under Bangladesh’s anti-terrorism law must be dropped”.

According to the statement, Monjurul Alam Panna, who runs the YouTube channel Manchitro, ended the evening in detention after being invited to speak as a journalist at a roundtable debate about Bangladesh’s war of liberation and the constitution.

Organized by the civil society platform Mancha 71 – dedicated to preserving the memory of the War of Independence – this public meeting was held at the auditorium of the independent association Dhaka Reporters Unity, in the capital, Dhaka. It suddenly degenerated when a group of individuals stormed in and accused the participants of “sympathy”........

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