Dhaka: The president of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh, Nazrul Islam Mithu, has revealed that he was stopped from boarding a flight to China at the airport’s immigration area on Sunday without any valid justification. Mithu stated that this incident constitutes a violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement and contravenes Article 13 of the International Human Rights Declaration.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Mithu shared his distressing experience at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where he was barred from traveling to China on Sunday afternoon. In a Facebook post, which coincided with Press Freedom Day, Mithu lamented ‘Press Freedom Day, minus the freedom!’
Mithu recounted that after collecting his boarding pass, a uniformed officer called him by name at an immigration counter. He was asked to hand over his passport and boarding pass and was taken to the office of an immigration head, a Superintendent of Police (SP), where he faced questions about his profession and workplace.
Mithu informed the officer that he represents the German News Agency, dpa, in Dhaka and was also questioned about his role as president of OCAB. He was asked if he was involved in any legal case, to which he responded negatively.
According to Mithu, the SP later informed him that while the police found nothing against him, he would need clearance from other ‘agencies.’ After nearly an hour of waiting, Mithu was told he might not be allowed to travel, although no specific reason was provided.
Mithu’s passport was eventually returned, his luggage was offloaded, and he was escorted out of the airport. He noted the irony of the situation occurring on World Press Freedom Day, a day marked globally with calls for greater protection of journalists.