Renowned Journalist Shafik Rehman was recently arrested and charged in a court in Dhaka for Sedition according to reports. However, Rehman's family are stressing that the arrest was illegal and that they have no grounds to do so.
The Guardian reports that Rehman, the former editor Jai Jai Din and now the known opposition leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been charged for alleged conspiracy to murder the son of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The arrest was believed to be unwarranted, as per The Daily Star. Rehman's family is claiming that Rehman was taken from their home by two investigators in plain clothes disguising themselves as reporters wanting to interview the veteran journalist.
"The most unfortunate part is that they entered our house posing as Boishakhi Television journalists," Taleya Rehman, the arrested journalist's wife said, as per the publication.
The arrest was believed to be directly because of Rehman's involvement with the BNP. Furthermore, the case, according to the news agency, involved Mohammad Ullah Mamun, the vice-president of BNP's cultural wing Jasas and other leaders of the group.
Allegedly, Rehman together with Mamun and the others were meeting in UK, the US and the Jasas office at the capital's Paltan and other parts of the country in Sept. 2012 to plan for the killing of the the Prime Minister's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
After the arrest, Joy posted on Facebook, stressing that the arrest was just right as it is a threat against his life. "How often do you actually get someone trying to kill you? In my case, apparently more often than even I am aware of. It's not because I'm a criminal or even a bad guy. It just so happens that my mother is in politics in Bangladesh and I help her from time to time," Joy wrote.
"The evidence against "journalist" Shafik Rehman comes directly from this case. Note I put the word journalist in quotes because once you're involved in trying to kidnap and kill someone I believe you have changed your career path from journalist to criminal. The BNP runs a mid-career course for that sort of thing," he added.
Meanwhile, as the leader of the BNP, Khaleda Zia demanded Rehman's unconditional release, according to BBC. Authorities, however, denied to post bail. As of current, Rehman is still detained while the Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Mazharul Islam ordered for 7 days of interrogation towards Rehman, the Daily Star adds.
