Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC

Ms Rupa and Mr Ahmed, a married couple, were arrested and detained on 21 August 2024, just weeks after mass student-led protests toppled the government led by Sheikh Hasina.

They have been accused of murder based on their journalism, which is alleged to have amounted to incitement of crimes which resulted in the deaths of student protesters.

Both Ms Rupa, a renowned investigative journalist and television presenter, and her husband, Mr Ahmed, worked at the Bangladeshi news network Ekkator TV, a privately-owned and government-licenced Bengali-language satellite and cable news channel. Mr Ahmed is Ekkator’s former head of news.

The broadcast channel was targeted by student leaders of the July revolution as it was perceived as having a pro-Hasina agenda. Its offices were vandalised and it was forced to temporarily suspend transmission.

Hundreds of journalists perceived to be aligned with the outgoing government are said to have been arrested and charged since August 2024. Several journalists also had their press accreditation suspended in October and November 2024.

In November 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to Bangladesh’s interim leader, Professor Muhammad Yunus, urging him to protect press freedom in his role as chief adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh.

Since their arrest, Ms Rupa and Mr Ahmed are said to have been subjected to repeated interrogation without access to lawyers, and Ms Rupa has from time to time been held in solitary confinement.

They have been given very restricted access to their family members and lawyers. Meanwhile, further charges have been brought against them.

The pair have now been incarcerated for over 150 days.

Yesterday, lawyers for the family initiated complaints to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.

The family is represented at international level by lawyers from Doughty Street Chambers in London and Sydney, led by Irish-born Ms Gallagher.

Ms Gallagher said: “Too often the first casualties of political change are journalists and that is exactly what has happened here. This is a case of nothing other than retributive lawfare.

“The prosecution of these two peaceful TV news workers is vengeful and vindictive and must end.

“Any value in the reforms ushered in by the regime change in Bangladesh will be swept away unless the incoming government fiercely guards the rule of law and maintains the highest standards of probity.

“We will be calling on the UN to challenge the Bangladeshi government over its actions in this case, and to free Ms Rupa and Mr Ahmed immediately.”

Joining Ms Gallagher KC on the international legal team for the two journalists are Matthew Lewis SC, Jonathan Price and Nikila Kaushik.

Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia programme co-ordinator, said: “Bangladesh’s interim government must protect press freedom and end any political witch hunts.

“As the interim government’s head engages with world leaders in Davos, Bangladesh must show its commitment to reforms and drop retaliatory charges against journalists, rather than adopting the previous regime’s playbook by using the law to target critics.

“The media must uphold ethical journalism and be allowed to report without fear or favour in this new political era.”