Staff Correspondent

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the former chairman of the Board of Investment and Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman.

He hoped the current interim government will grant him bail and ensure justice for a 'pro-democracy journalist'.

“I am strongly demanding the immediate withdrawal of the false cases filed against Mahmudur Rahman and his unconditional release,” the BNP Secretary General said in a statement.

He also strongly condemned and protested the incident of sending Mahmudur Rahman to jail, not granting him bail.

In the statement, Mirza Fakhrul said Mahdudur Rahman is a renowned journalist of the country and he suffered terrible torture during the deposed dictatorial regime.

A plot was designed to endanger his life as the ferocious attacks of the fascist failed to contain him, said the BNP leader.

“Sheikh Hasina has tried to destroy him personally because of his bold and scathing writings in favor of democracy. The Awami fascist government filed many false and politically motivated cases against him and subjected him to unspeakable oppression by giving him a dictated sentence,” he added.

However, the journalist has not been afraid of the bloody eyes of the Awami government and has remained steadfast in his principles and ideals. Mahmudur Rahman believes in the principles of democracy, pluralism and respects different opinions, Mirza Fakhrul added.

“Even in the face of the aggressive attack of Awami authoritarianism, he didn't bow down. Yesterday (Sunday) injustice was done to him by sending him to jail, not granting him bail in a false case. He should have been granted bail,” said the BNP Secretary General.

A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the now-defunct Amar Desh, to be sent to jail after he surrendered in a case related to the abduction and attempted murder of Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier Mahmudur Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Friday morning, following over five and a half years in self-imposed exile.

Rahman has long been a critic of the then Awami League government, facing over 124 cases. Both he and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison in one of those cases. Rahman was arrested in June 2010 and again in April 2013, during which the government forced the closure of Amar Desh in print.