John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. I chair an international fact-finding commission, comprising people from America, Canada, Bangladesh and England, into the murder of both these journalists in front of their five-year old son last February in Bangladesh. Their deaths are just one part of a continuous series of physical attacks and murders perpetrated against journalists in Bangladesh, which amounts to a serious blow against freedom of expression. When journalists in Bangladesh protested following these deaths they were met by a murderous response both by the army and police there. Even the high court in Bangladesh has said it is dissatisfied with the poor progress of the investigation.

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