Post-coup Bangladesh, there are multifaceted threats to journalism and media freedom that have raised concerns at home and abroad. Attacks on newspaper offices, murder cases against hundreds of journalists and cancellation of journalists' press accreditation cards three times by the government have created such a situation.
The interim government says it will not hinder the practice of independent journalism in Bangladesh and does not support the Dhala case. However, as the media and journalists have been affected in various ways, media owners' organizations, editors' councils and international organizations working on the rights of media and journalists have issued statements expressing their concern.
Robayet Ferdous, a professor of mass communication and journalism at Dhaka University, told BBC that during the previous government, we saw that it was not possible to speak properly against that government. They did not tolerate any criticism. Now watching the televisions, this interim government or those who will come in the next government, they think that BNP or Jamaat, their campaign is propaganda and it is not journalism.
Murder case against journalists
On the day of the fall of the government on August 5, Md. was shot dead in Mirpur. In Fazlur's murder case, a case has been filed against one and a half to twenty and 165 unidentified people. 25 of the accused in the murder case of Vasantek police station are journalists.
The case was filed in Dhaka's Kafrul police station. The statement mentions Md. The accused hit Fazlu with iron rods, chapatis and shot him dead while celebrating his victory. The attack took place at seven in the evening in front of Digant filling station at Junction 14 of Mirpur under Vasantech police station.
Shahnaz Sharmin, who works for a private TV channel in the country, is one of the accused in the murder case. Regarding the issue of the case, he said that on August 5th, he was busy in live broadcasting all day. He was reporting live from the front of Banga Bhavan at that time when the allegations of murder came.
Accreditation cancelled
The interim government canceled the permanent temporary accreditation cards of journalists in three phases. Julhas Alam, the Dhaka bureau chief of the US news agency AP, is on the card cancellation list of the Directorate of Information. In addition, the names of many professional journalists are on the cancellation list.
Private TV channel journalist Taimur Rashid's card has also been cancelled. He said he was surprised, surprised and embarrassed about the matter.
Taimur Rashid said that his card has not been renewed since September 2022. He claims that he is not a member of any journalist union.
Concerns of international organizations
A number of international organizations working on journalism and media rights have issued statements of concern in various events following the coup.
Recently, the organizations have condemned the situation in front of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers, the vandalism of offices outside Dhaka. It is hoped that the Yunus government will work to protect the freedom of the media.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in a November 27 statement expressing concern over the situation around the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star, said such actions were "contrary to independent journalism and completely unacceptable."
The same statement also expressed concern over the seizure of bank accounts and prosecution of journalists in murder cases.
What is the government saying?
Information advisor on two issues of murder case against journalists and cancellation of accreditation card. BBC Bangla spoke to Nahid Islam. Regarding the murder case, Nahid Islam said that the government is not supporting the issue of accusing journalists in the Dhalla murder case. The Information Adviser said that steps should be taken to ensure that no innocent person is victimized.
This advisor said, we have made a committee from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. We invite applications from those who feel that they have been harassed. Here is the application. We will scrutinize those applications and recommend it to the Law Ministry. So that cases against those who have been harassed are dismissed and justice is ensured.
When asked about the cancellation of the card, Nahid Islam said that initiatives have been taken to reduce the number of cards given to political party workers and those involved in crimes under the guise of journalism.
He says the accreditation card was not done following the proper process in the past. Additional numbers have been given to various media houses. There is also evidence that many party workers have been given and have committed various misdeeds by coming to the secretariat using this accreditation card. Accordingly, we have decided to reduce the accreditation card, so it has been cancelled. It will be renewed again and if they reapply and follow the proper process it will be given to them again.
The information advisor was one of the main coordinators of the student movement. Regarding measures against journalists, he said, "Our standards are those who were involved with the fascist regime, were involved in the genocide in many ways, legitimized the genocide in many ways." Various journalists have also worked as think tanks of Awami League. In that place they are totally involved in crime. If that crime is found, we don't consider them as journalists if we get clear allegations.
Nahid Islam said, people have various kinds of anger and complaints from those who are involved with the fascist regime. The government will take action from there. There have been various cases. But apart from that, we want to ensure that journalists are not subjected to any kind of harassment, because of criticism of the government.
Meanwhile, many believe that the past role of the media and the support of the Awami League government for the personal interests of journalists is responsible for the current situation. Robayet Ferdous, professor of journalism department of Dhaka University, said that in the last two decades, there has been a big crisis in the people's trust in journalism and mass media in Bangladesh.
He said that the concern about the media in Bangladesh should also be looked at. According to him, journalism in Bangladesh has faced a question for the last twenty five years. Its acceptance, credibility with the common people, with the reader, with the audience has been shaken.
He said that our practice of journalism in the last fifteen and twenty years. But there was a big lump inside him. That of a government becoming a sycophant, a sycophant, and an art form. We have seen the press conferences of the former Prime Minister. So all in all, the people's sense of respect and acceptance towards journalism was at the bottom," said Ferdous.
According to him, many of these journalists have seen taking plots, flats, whatever they have done to become the Prime Minister's travel companions. All in all, there was anger, but there was anger. But journalists of Bangladesh cannot avoid their responsibility as the friends of fascism.
