Journalist gunned down in unexplained circumstances

Talhad Ahmed Kabid, a reporter with the Bangladeshi newspaper Dainik Narsingdi Bani, was shot dead two days ago by unidentified gunmen in the Shalidah neighbourhood in the western town of Narsingdi. Reporters Without Borders wishes to express its sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. The press freedom organization is concerned at the growing violence in Bangladesh, reflected in an increase in assaults, violence and murders that go unpunished. “A serious investigation must be undertaken so that a crime like this does not remain unpunished,” it said. “Even if the motives behind this murder are still not known, a link to the journalist’s work cannot be ruled out.” Police and eyewitnesses said 30-year-old Kabid was shot about 7:30 a.m. by three or four gunmen in the mobile phone shop which he owns. He was rushed to Narsingdi hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The Narsingdi district police chief said his officers were on the trail of those behind the crime. In February, husband and wife journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi were stabbed to death in their home. Despite a large-scale protest by the country’s journalists, the investigation has not reached a successful conclusion. On 15 June the journalist Jamal Uddin was hacked to death by unidentified killers. The ability of those in the media to work freely has deteriorated alarmingly in Bangladesh, which is ranked 129th of 179 countries in the 2011-2012 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.