OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Paris, 22 April 2005: Kamal Hossein, a Bangladeshi journalist, gave himself up to his murderers when they threatened to kill his two-year-old son. Nine months later, no one has been arrested and little progress has been made in the case.

"Not only is the failure to identify his killers an insult to the memory of Mr Hossein and to his family, it sends a chilling signal to others in Bangladesh that journalists may be murdered with impunity," the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) said in a letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia asking her to ensure that the killers are pursued and prosecuted.

Mr Hossein, a correspondent for the daily newspaper Ajker Kagoj and secretary general of the local press club in Manikchhari, had been investigating organised crime when armed men broke into his home one morning last August. Mr Hossein hid from his attackers, but gave himself up when they threatened to kill his son.

His body was found two kilometres from his home several hours later.

Mr Hossein was one of 71 journalists murdered world-wide last year, and one of four killed in Bangladesh. More than 500 journalists have been murdered world-wide in the past decade, and nobody has been brought to justice in more than two-thirds of the cases.

The Paris-based WAN asked Prime Minister Zia "to send a clear message to the country that those who kill journalists are enemies of democracy and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

The letter is part of a WAN campaign to ensure that the murders of journalists worldwide are thoroughly investigated and that their killers are brought to justice. To draw attention to this problem, WAN is focusing its World Press Freedom Day activities on 3 May around the theme, "Impunity: getting away with murder."

WAN is urging newspapers world-wide to commemorate World Press Freedom by publishing interviews, articles, infographics, cartoons and advertisements on the theme of impunity which are available from WAN.

Video clips are also available from WAN for web sites and TV channels.

WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 72 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.