'If Yunus wants, he can turn entire country into a prison': Anis Alamgir tells court
Journalist Anis Alamgir today (15 December) strongly rejected the charges brought against him, telling a Dhaka court that Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus could "turn the whole of Bangladesh into a prison" if he so wished.
"I strongly condemn all the allegations against me. If Dr Yunus wants, he can make the entire country a prison. If he thinks he can make it hell, he can do that too," Anis said during a remand hearing at the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam this evening.
Addressing the court, Anis said he has questioned those in power for more than two decades.
"I did it during Begum Khaleda Zia's tenure, during Sheikh Hasina's tenure, and I am doing it now during Dr Yunus' tenure. I will continue to do so under whoever comes next, because this is my job," he said.
He added that he expresses his views openly on Facebook and television talk shows and that there was nothing hidden in his statements.
Referring to comments he made about attacks on Muhammad Yunus' residence and Grameen Bank, Anis said his remarks must be seen in proper context. "This is about words and their meaning. When politics turns into revenge, it keeps going," he said.
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Anis also claimed that the country had fallen into "politics of revenge," adding that those who supported the July movement and demanded the resignation of Sheikh Hasina were now being sidelined. "Today, we are being taught how the country should run," he said.
Rejecting any alleged links with others named in the case, including actor Meher Afroz Shaon, Anis said he had no political or business connections. "I met Shaon once at a cultural programme years ago. That is all," he said.
He further alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched from abroad to destabilise the country and thwart the election.
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"One person is in Paris, another in New York. I have spoken against them in five or six talk shows," he said, adding that those he described as 'view earners' had been abusing him online and calling for punishment.
Anis claimed that these individuals had influenced a political party, which in turn appealed to the chief adviser, leading to what he described as a fabricated case.
"That is why a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act has been filed against me," he said.
Anis Alamgir was taken into custody by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (DB) from Dhanmondi yesterday (14 December) and later taken to the DB office for interrogation.
He was arrested in an anti-terrorism case filed today (15 December) at Uttara West Police Station by Ariyan Ahmed, who claims to be a central organiser of the July Revolutionary Alliance.