Bail hearing of Rozina today

A virtual court in Dhaka today will hear the bail petition filed by Prothom Alo Senior Correspondent Rozina Islam in a case by the health ministry under the Official Secrets Act and penal code.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Baki Billah set the date on Thursday last.

Rozina was not produced before the court during the hearing. 

The prosecution wanted to delay the bail hearing so that they could submit a video that surfaced in visual media.

They requested the court to grant them one week for submitting the video.

The metropolitan magistrate asked the prosecution to submit important and relevant documents relating to the case on Sunday and said that he will pass an order on the bail petition on that day, Nizamuddin Fakir, general recording officer of Ramna and Shahbagh police stations at the CMM court said.

The video which was taken by someone in the room where the altercation between Rozina and the ministry officials took place, shows officials interrogating the journalist while she says that she would be willing to give a written undertaking.

The prosecution argued that the eight-minute-long video shows her confessing to making a mistake as she asked them to let her go.

They said that if she gets bail, it will affect the evidence and she will influence the witnesses.

The defence pointed out that the video cannot be taken into cognizance by the court because the case solely rests on the first information report filed by the police which does not mention the video at all.

When the defence pointed out that there have been no cases filed under the official secrets act against journalists in recent history, the prosecution said, "We have not seen any such case because such a serious offence has not been committed in the last 50 years."

They added that Rozina Islam acquired documents pertaining to confidential treaties with China and Russia regarding vaccines, hid them on her body and took photos without permission.

"We have no animosity towards journalists," said the prosecution.

They argued that Rozina stole information containing sensitive information.

Rozina is currently in jail in the case filed by Shibbir Ahmed Osmani, a deputy secretary of the health services division, on Monday night.

In his complaint, Shibbir said Bangladesh is in negotiations with several countries for purchasing Covid-19 vaccines and there are "non-disclosure agreements".