Group lauds call to free journalist

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.