At least 56 journalists from different media outlets have been tortured, harassed, threatened or sued across the country in the last three months, according to a report released today by rights body Ain o Salish Kendra.

The journalists include Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and reporter Samsuzzaman Shams, who were on Wednesday sued in a case filed under the Digital Security Act with Ramna Police Station, according to the report sent to media by Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir, senior coordinator of ASK.

The report also noted the arrest of journalist Raghunath Kha, Satkhira correspondent of the private broadcaster Deepto TV and newspaper Dainik Projonmo Ekattor, saying law enforcers denied picking him up for nine hours and showed him arrested in a case later on.

It also mentioned the torture on the Kaler Kantho staff reporter Zahirul Islam by a police officer of Gulshan Police Station.

The rights body demanded withdrawal of all cases filed against journalists under DSA and that the law be scrapped.

124 WOMEN AND CHILDREN RAPED

The ASK report also stated that at least 124 women and children were raped across the country in the last three months.

Of them, 12 were murdered after rape and one victim of rape died by suicide afterwards, the report added.

ASK prepared the statistical report based on information from nine daily newspapers, online news portals and its own sources.

In the last three months, 105 persons were also victims of sexual assault. Two persons were killed while they were protesting the assault incidents.

At least 353 children were either killed or tortured while 26 people died in different jails throughout the country, it added.