Amnesty International has demanded the release of Rozina Islam, a journalist who has been arrested by Bangladesh authorities, claiming she was arrested for her critical reporting against the government. 

Rozina has produced a series of investigative reports exposing irregularity in the country’s health sector during the pandemic. Later, Bangladesh Police have arrested her alleging she violated the Official Secret Act. However, Saad Hammadi, Amnesty South Asia’s campaigner, claimed her arrest was the result of her critical reporting against the government. 

"Rozina Islam has exposed irregularities in Bangladesh's health sector for the past few months during the Covid-19 pandemic and her arrest points to an increasing trend of a wider crackdown on freedom of expression through draconian laws to silence critical or dissenting views,” Hammadi was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. 

Authorities have failed to provide any concrete evidence of a recognizable criminal offense against her, he claimed. She should not be punished for her professional duties, he added. 

Earlier, she has been kept for five hours in Bangladesh’s health ministry, and officials alleged that she stole secret official documents from the ministry. 

Rozina, in her reporting, demanded transparency in procurement of vaccines by the government. 

(SAM)