Journalist Anis Alamgir has been granted bail in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after previously securing bail in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md. Sabbir Foyez granted him bail on Wednesday.
During the hearing, his lawyer Taslima Jahan Popy argued for his release. After the hearing, she said, “As he has now secured bail in both cases, there is no legal barrier to his release from prison.”
Earlier, on March 5, the High Court granted Anis Alamgir bail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Uttara West Police Station in Dhaka. However, on March 8, a Dhaka court had rejected his bail plea in the ACC case.
On the night of December 14, a team of Detective Branch (DB) police took journalist Anis Alamgir to the DB office for questioning.
Later that night, Arian Ahmed, a member of an organization named “July Revolutionary Alliance,” filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against four people, including Anis Alamgir, accusing them of conspiring to destabilize the state and instigating a banned organization.
In that case, the court granted five days’ remand for Anis Alamgir. After the remand ended, he was sent to jail on December 20 and had remained in custody since then.
Meanwhile, on January 15, the ACC filed a case against Anis Alamgir on allegations of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income. On January 28, the court showed him arrested in the case following a petition by the ACC.
Earlier, on January 25, the investigation officer and ACC Assistant Director Akhtaruzzaman had applied to show him arrested in the case. The court set January 28 for a hearing in the presence of the accused and later granted the application.
Anisur Rahman Alamgir, widely known as Anis Alamgir, has worked for several media outlets, including the daily Ajker Kagoj. A part-time university teacher, he has frequently been discussed and criticized for his opinions on contemporary politics and other issues expressed in television talk shows. His Facebook posts also sparked considerable debate.
His wife, Shahnaz Chowdhury, has claimed that her husband is being imprisoned because of his “exercise of freedom of expression.”
