Dhaka journalist detained

Police in Bangladesh have arrested a local journalist working for the international organisation, Reporters Without Borders, on suspicion of being involved in activities against the state.

Saleem Samad had been helping two Western journalists to film a documentary for British television Channel Four News.

He was detained in the north of the capital, Dhaka, a week after the arrest of the British and Italian journalists Zaiba Malik and Bruno Sorrentino, he was working with.

The government says they were trying to portray Bangladesh as a country where Islamic fanaticism is widespread.

The human rights group, Amnesty International, has urged the authorities to ensure the detainees are not subjected to torture or ill-treatment.

(From the newsroom of BBC World Service)