Bangladeshi editor attacked outside courtroom

MANILA, Philippines – Bangladeshi editor Mahmudur Rahman was attacked outside a courthouse on Sunday, July 22, as he was leaving a defamation hearing in Kushtia, Bangladesh.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the pro-government student organization Bangladesh Chhatra League allegedly led the attack that left Rahman with several head injuries.

Reports from The Express Tribune and The Daily Star said that 66-year-old Rahman was about to leave the courthouse after being granted bail over his defamation case when he was attacked by around 100 activists with bricks and sticks.

Rahman, who was the editor of the privately-owned opposition-aligned newspaper Amar Desh before it closed down in 2013, spent one night in the intensive care unit.

The Chhatra League Kushtia district unit on Tuesday, July 24, denied its involvement in the attack, according to a report in the Dhaka Tribune.

Rahman was previously jailed in connection to his journalistic work and is currently fighting several court cases, such as sedition charges for comments critical of government officials. – Rappler.com