In a meeting with Dr. Richard L. Benkin the Bangladeshi ambassador to US claimed Choudhury's incarceration was related to a "purely internal financial dispute" that had "nothing to do with his attempted travel to Israel" or his journalistic activities.
According to Choudhury's own words :
Since my newspaper, the Weekly Blitz, published several articles that were favorable to Israel, we have been subject to various threats from local fanatics as well from the Palestinian ambassador in Dhaka. Our newspaper was black listed by some of the local companies financed by the Islami Bank, another organization that patronizes and nourishes extremist groups here.On September 18, 2006 a controversial judge had ordered him to stand trial for sedition, a capital offense according to Dr. Benkin. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is still a free man but it is disheartening to see the use of the judiciary by the politicians. The separation of judiciary from administration was an election agenda of the present government and it is yet to be fulfilled. More about it here.
I received numerous threats from the local extremists and from the editor of an extremist daily, and in one case I had to lodge a written complaint with the local police station. Under the instructions and inspiration of Islami Bank, Ibn Sina Trust and some other religious extremist groups, I was thrown out of a private television company where fanatics suddenly acquired the major portion of the stock. Until now I have not been paid the price for my 20 percent share in that company.
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