The American Jewish Committee lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for calling on Bangladesh to drop all charges against a Bangladesh journalist. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, 41, could face execution if he is convicted of sedition, blasphemy and treason for calling for diplomatic ties between Israel and Bangladesh. “The House has sent a crucial message in calling on the Bangladesh Government to drop the sedition case against Mr. Choudhury, investigate and hold accountable those who have physically attacked him, and take steps to protect him,” said Richard Foltin, AJCommittee’s legislative director and counsel. The House resolution, drafted by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), was overwhelmingly adopted. It is the latest initiative in an international campaign, led in part by AJCommittee, to secure freedom for the Bangladeshi journalist. As a result of his writings concerning the rise of radicalism in Bangladesh and his belief in interfaith dialogue, Choudhury, editor of the Weekly Blitz, the largest tabloid English-language weekly in Bangladesh, was arrested and imprisoned when he attempted to travel to Israel in 2003 to attend a conference on coexistence. His newspaper offices have been bombed and he has been targeted with death threats.
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