Dhaka, Aug 31 (Reporter) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged the Bangladesh interim government to "halt the purging of journalists affiliated with the former government" and to immediately release them, media reports said on Saturday. "The purge of journalists who are considered to be affiliated with the former government has reached a new level. Media professionals are bearing the brunt of the need for vengeance that permeates this terrible legal cabal, which is hurting the image of the political transition underway in Bangladesh," The Daily Star reported, quoting a statement from Antoine Bernard, RSF's Director of Advocacy and Assistance. The Paris-based non-profit working for media freedom worldwide said in a statement today that the interim authorities, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, must do everything in their power to end this vicious process, he said. On August 29, 25 journalists were charged with crimes against humanity for the death of a protester in July. According to reports, the list of journalists includes Ekattor TV's Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed, who have already been charged with the murder of other demonstrators and are currently behind bars. The complaint filed on August 29 for crimes against humanity marks a new phase in a series of lawsuits targeting media professionals in the past 10 days. At least 25 journalists are targeted in a case examined by the International Crimes Tribunal, a special court set up in 1973 to judge abuses committed during Bangladesh's war of independence, according to reports. According to RSF's information, most of the media professionals named in the complaint have left their homes for fear of arrest, reports said. The journalists accused in the case include Abed Khan, Ahmed Zobair, Ajoy Dasgupta, Ashish Saikat, Farida Yasmin, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Joy E Mamun, Manash Ghosh, Mohammed Manzurul Islam, Mozammel Babu, Munni Saha, Nobonita Chowdhury, Naem Nizam, Pranab Saha, Probash Amin, Saiful Alam, Shakil Ahmed, Shyamal Dutta, Shyamal Sarkar, Soma Islam, Subhash Singha Roy, Swadesh Roy, Tushar Abdullah, and Zayadul Ahsan Pintu. On August 28, three journalists were named in a case related to a protester's murder, but no arrest warrants were issued by the police. During Sheikh Hasina's last months in power, Bangladesh ranked 165th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2024 World Press Freedom Index, reports added...////...