Journalist Nazrul Islam Mithu barred from travelling abroad
Mithu, the Dhaka correspondent for German state news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) and president of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB), said the incident occurred at the immigration counter after he had collected his boarding pass.
The Immigration police barred journalist Nazrul Islam Mithu from travelling abroad at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka today (3 May), preventing him from boarding a scheduled flight to China.
Mithu, the Dhaka correspondent for German state news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) and president of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB), said the incident occurred at the immigration counter after he had collected his boarding pass.
An immigration police official, on condition of anonymity, told The Business Standard that they stopped Mithu from boarding the flight due to "objections from intelligence officials".
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In a Facebook post this evening, Mithu said an immigration officer called him by name and escorted him to the office of the special superintendent of police (SP) in charge of immigration, where he was questioned about his identity and profession.
"The prevention at the airport without showing any reason is a textbook example of violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement and the violation of Article 13 of the International Human Rights Declaration," Mithu wrote.
The restriction comes a day after OCAB called for an end to repression against journalists at a programme in Dhaka marking World Press Freedom Day.
According to Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state and the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.
