Journalists organized a protest rally and human chain in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday noon, demanding justice for the killing of four journalists, including journalist Hasan Mehdi, in the ongoing student movement.

The occasion was chaired by senior journalist Saidur Rahman and moderated by Mohammad Masud. The leaders and activists of different journalist organizations in the country were present in multiple banners under their respective organizations.During the time, Md. Morshed Alam, Chairman of the Federation of Bangladesh Journalists Organization, gave a welcome speech. The speakers at the occasion said that we strongly protest and condemn the unprecedented brutality that has been carried out around the quota movement, including the death of journalists, the vandalism of media vehicles, and the burning of them in the capital. Both the government forces and the protestors have turned journalists into adversaries and brutally attacked them. Four journalists have been brutally killed by being trapped in a fight somewhere by cold-hearted shooting, and about two hundred and twenty journalists have been injured. Many of them are permanently crippled. The condition of more than half a hundred injured journalists is serious.

In addition to the president and general secretary of the journalist organization, Dhaka Journalist Union organizing secretary Golam Mujtaba Dhruba and former executive member of DUJ AH Al Amin spoke in solidarity. What happened that day, eyewitness journalist Imam Hossain Emon has presented to everyone.During the time, the speakers raised their demands and said, “We are demanding strict punishment of the guilty through immediate judicial investigation regarding the killing of four journalists within two days during the agitation.” We want any member of the murdered journalist’s family to be given adequate compensation, including government jobs. Besides, the state has to take the responsibility of providing emergency financial support, including all the medical expenses of the injured.Surma Alam, Ziaur Rahman, Hafihur Rahman Shafiq, Jewel Khandakar, Mustaqim Nibir, Md Salim, Akash Moni, Saidul Islam, and Syeda Rimi Sardar Mahabub Alam, Mehdi Hasan, Abdul Aziz, Sujan Sheikh, Zakia Sulkana, and Azizul Islam Yuvraj worked tirelessly to make the protest meeting successful.

It is to be noted that Dhaka Times senior reporter Hasan Mehdi was shot dead by the police during the violence in the Jatrabari area on the evening of July 18. Freelance photojournalist Tauhid Zaman Priya was shot in the head and died on the spot while photographing the movement at Science Laboratory intersection on July 19 at noon. On the same day, Naya Diganta journalist ATM Turab was shot dead while on duty in Syria. He died the next day while undergoing treatment at the hospital. Ninety-eight bullets were found in Turab’s body. In addition to this, on July 18, a representative of Bhorer Awaz, Md. Shakil Hossain, was shot dead while collecting news.More than 200 journalists have been injured in Dhaka and outside Dhaka as journalists have been shot, attacked, and clashed while performing their duties.