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Amnesty: Bangladesh media faces more restrictions now than ever
A number of editors and journalists have been accused in criminal cases and cases under the ICT Act in recent years Bigstock
The government treats journalism as if it were a crime, says Amnesty’s Bangladesh researcher Olof Blomqvist
The government has stifled freedom of expression and its various attempts to silence critical coverage has resulted in more restrictions on the media in recent years, the Amnesty International claims in a new report.
Most media workers, interviewed by Amnesty, said media freedom was at its worst since Bangladesh returned to democracy in 1991, although the government insists that there was “enough freedom” for journalism in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Amnesty claimed that Bangladesh had frequently invoked “archaic, colonial-era criminal defamation and sedition laws against critical journalists.”
After the Awami League retained office in 2014, the authorities have used “criminal charges and other tactics to harass and interfere in the work of media outlets in an effort to silence critical reporting”, the report – Caught between fear and repression: Attacks on freedom of expression in Bangladesh – alleged.
It claimed that the government had made use of a “repressive legal framework” containing “a number of laws that stifle the right to freedom of expression”. While some of these laws date back to the colonial-era, others have been introduced more recently.
The fear of being charged, imprisoned or falling victim to physical violence has led to extensive self-censorship, the report noted.
A journalist, who was not named, told Amnesty that there was indirect pressure on media not owned by ruling Awami League supporters to not to cross the line.
Read Amnestys full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2017/05/02/amnesty-bangladesh-media-restrictions/
- Tribune Desk
- Published at 04:20 PM May 02, 2017
- Last updated at 08:11 PM May 02, 2017
A number of editors and journalists have been accused in criminal cases and cases under the ICT Act in recent years Bigstock
The government treats journalism as if it were a crime, says Amnesty’s Bangladesh researcher Olof Blomqvist
The government has stifled freedom of expression and its various attempts to silence critical coverage has resulted in more restrictions on the media in recent years, the Amnesty International claims in a new report.
Most media workers, interviewed by Amnesty, said media freedom was at its worst since Bangladesh returned to democracy in 1991, although the government insists that there was “enough freedom” for journalism in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Amnesty claimed that Bangladesh had frequently invoked “archaic, colonial-era criminal defamation and sedition laws against critical journalists.”
After the Awami League retained office in 2014, the authorities have used “criminal charges and other tactics to harass and interfere in the work of media outlets in an effort to silence critical reporting”, the report – Caught between fear and repression: Attacks on freedom of expression in Bangladesh – alleged.
It claimed that the government had made use of a “repressive legal framework” containing “a number of laws that stifle the right to freedom of expression”. While some of these laws date back to the colonial-era, others have been introduced more recently.
The fear of being charged, imprisoned or falling victim to physical violence has led to extensive self-censorship, the report noted.
A journalist, who was not named, told Amnesty that there was indirect pressure on media not owned by ruling Awami League supporters to not to cross the line.
Read Amnestys full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2017/05/02/amnesty-bangladesh-media-restrictions/