Leaders of the Dhaka Union of Journalists Monday urged the owners of media to stop illegal termination of journalists and other employees from jobs and pay their arrears immediately.
The journalists’ leaders made the appeal in an emergency meeting of the DUJ announcing that the journalist community would form a human chain in front of the National Press Club on July 8 in protest against ‘such evil steps’.
DUJ president Omar Faruque chaired the meeting.
DUJ leaders including general secretary Saban Mahmud, Abdul Majid, Mofijul Islam, Sohel Haider Chowdhury, Mahamudur Rahman Khokon, Abul Khayer, Shahid Hasan, Salimullah Selim, Kishore Kumar Sarker, Gazi Jahirul Islam and Sheikh Nazmul Haque Saikat addressed the meeting, among others.
They expressed deep concern over illegal retrenchment of many journalists from different newspapers and news agencies including the daily Ittefaq, the Daily Sun, the daily Sakaler Khabor, Banglanews24.com and the daily Samokal.
Such type of firing from the jobs is not only an inhuman act but also against the democratic norms, they added.
Journalists’ leaders were also very critical of ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman for his recent indecent remarks on the Sagor-Runi murder case.
They demanded that the government should take action against Mahfuzur Rahman and arrest him immediately.
The meeting also took decision to take stern action against ATN Bangla journalists, who attacked a journalist during a rally demanding trial of Sagor-Runi murder in front of the National Press Club recently.