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A coalition of five prominent international human rights and press freedom organizations has called on the Bangladesh government to halt the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) investigation against two detained journalists, Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu. The groups, including Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Human Rights Watch, issued a joint statement urging the government to ensure journalists are not subjected to criminal charges for their reporting.

The ICT indicated that Rupa and Babu were arrested on May 14, 2026, in connection with their broadcast coverage of a May 2013 operation against Hefazat-e-Islam at Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar. Prosecutors allege the journalists spread misleading information regarding casualty figures during the event. The rights groups contend that prosecuting journalistic work, including editorial decisions on politically sensitive events, under the guise of crimes against humanity is legally unfounded and creates a detrimental chilling effect on the media.

These new ICT charges add another layer of legal complexity for Rupa, Babu, and two other journalists, Shakil Ahmed and Shyamal Dutta, who have been in pre-trial detention since August and September 2024. They were initially arrested in connection with numerous murder cases stemming from the July-August 2024 uprising that led to the ousting of the Awami League government. Although the High Court granted bail to Rupa and Ahmed in most of their cases on May 11, 2026, the Appellate Division later stayed these orders. The organizations expressed concern that the ICT charges could serve as a separate legal avenue to keep Rupa and Babu detained, potentially circumventing any bail secured in the murder cases.

In their statement, the organizations urged the government to immediately release the four journalists. They also called for the establishment of an independent review mechanism for ICT cases involving members of the press, emphasizing the importance of protecting freedom of expression and journalistic integrity.