User:Crtew/Abdul Hakim Shimul

Abdul Hakim Shimul, (ca. 1975-1977 – February 2, 2017), was  a Bangladeshi journalist for the Daily Samakal in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shimul was shot and killed by the Shahzadpur mayor, while reporting on a standoff between two rival factions of the Awami League activists.


 * 1. Abdul Hakim Shimul
 * 2. Ca. 1975-1977
 * 3. February 2, 2017 at Sirajganj's Sakhwat Memorial Hospital
 * 4. Journalist
 * 5. Bangladeshi


 * 1. Abdul Hakim Shimul
 * 2. 1975-1977? - February 02, 2017
 * 3. Bangladeshi
 * 4. Journalist
 * 5. Newspaper
 * 6. Daily Samakal
 * 7. Abdul Hakim Shimul (ca. 1975-1977 – February 2, 2017), was a Bangladeshi journalist for the Daily Samakal in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shimul was shot and killed by the Shahzadpur mayor, while reporting on a standoff between two rival factions of the Awami League activists. 

Career
Shimul was affiliated with Odhikar, which is a human rights organization that supports advocacy on human rights situation in the country, supplies training for human rights defenders, and conducts fact-finding missions in rural areas of Bangladesh. Shimul was active in taking part in the trainings and missions. He was also the Shahzadpur correspondent for Bangla Daily “Dainik Samakal” and reported on a multitude of issues such as misuse of power by local superiors.

Death
Shimul was actively documenting on rivals between two different factions of the Awami League activists in Shahzadpur Upazila of Sirajganj when he was shot in the head and the chest. Shimul was shot by the Shahzadpur Municipality Mayor Halimul Haque Miru, and the firearm was later seized from his home. When confronted about the shooting, Miru admitted to firing, but said he only fired a shot in response to the shots being fired by the rival. Two of Miru’s brothers, Habibul Haque Mintu, secretary of Pabna district unit Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Halimul Haque Pintu, an AL activist, were arrested along with Miru. Shimul’s wife, Nurunnahar Begum, filed a murder case against Miru and 17 others and the High Court deined bail to Mayor Miru. Of the accused 14, incluing Miru, are currently behind bars. When Shimul finally died, he was being shifted from Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra. However, his condition deteriorated on his way. He was rushed to Sirajganj's Sakhwat Memorial Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Context
One afternoon, around 12:30 pm, some supporters of Shahzadpur Municipality Mayor Halimul Haque Miru, who also acts at the organizing secretary of Sirajganj AL, beat up an AL activist, Bijoy Hossain. Hossain was a former vice-president of Shahzadpur College unit Chhatra League, over previous bad blood. On the day of Shimul’s attack, at around 5:30 pm, Bijoy and men organized a protest against the assault and marched in Manirampur area in Shahzadpur Upazila Town. Once they reached Miru’s home, shots were fired inside from a shotgun licensed to Miru. Both followers of Miru and Bijoy entered into a locked clash.

Shimul is not the only or first journalist to get attacked as an innocent bystander on the job. A total of 122 journalists faced repression and assault from law enforcers, influential people, local representatives, criminals, political activists and government officials.

Impact
Bangladesh continues to portray an extremely high level of violence by political parties and their supporters, but especially those under the Awami League. In 2017, there were nearly twice as many attacks physically on human rights defenders and journalists. 28 suffered serious injury, 75 suffered serious assault, and Shimul is the first journalist to be killed in Bangladesh in 2017 according to the IFJ Killed List. After hearing about the murder, journalists began protesting and rallying demanding punishment. Tension is rising in the municipal town ever since the incident, and journalists have shown their agitation across the country, but especially in Dhaka.

Reactions
IFJ strongly condemns violence which cost the life of colleague Abdul Hakim Shimul who was only doing his job. This is a sad reminder of the sacrifice journalists make across the world, paying the ultimate price to inform their public. We send our condolences to his family for the loss of Shimul and his grandmother. We further urge the authorities the circumstances in which guns were discharged in the public place, with such a devastating consequence” said IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger.

“We note that the authorities have arrested Shahzadpur’s mayor, we urge them to bring the perpetrator of this murder to justice and, given the Awami League’s repeated association with violence, we ask them to seriously consider its criminal responsibility,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said, “I condemn the killing of Abdul Hakim Shimul, and I trust that the authorities will succeed in bringing the journalist’s killers to justice, which is particularly important to promote freedom of expression and deter violence against media workers.”

The President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Kerry Kennedy stated, “The killing of Mr. Shimul demonstrates the danger that journalists in Bangladesh face when political in-fighting deteriorates into violent street fights. The Bangladesh police must immediately investigate this killing, the perpetrators should be held to account, and the Awami League must condemn in the strongest possible terms this intra-party violence.”

TEMPORARY URL HOLDER

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