Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reasserted her pledge towards freedom of expression, whereas opposition political parties criticized the government alleging to choke the media by closing BNP-leaning newspaper Amar Desh and blocking social networking website Facebook.
The daily “Amar Desh”, a well-liked voice of the opposition was shut downed by the straight concern of National Security Intelligence (NSI) as they lifted up its publisher for six hours to get him to sign a few blank papers. By converting in to complaints, framed by the NSI, Police arrest the editor-in-charge, Mahmudur Rahman, at about 4 am on 2 June 2010.
According to many witnesses, the Home authorities could not have taken the latest trial against Amar Desh and Mahmudur Rahman (Acting Editor) unless ordered or allowed by Sheikh Hasina herself.
Defying the concerns of the US and the UK embassies for freedom of the press and defying the court order not to torture, which is forbidden by the constitution, the police later- forcibly-undressed Mahmudur Rahman (Acting Editor) at midnight in remand, tortured and beat him up leaving him unconscious.
During the last eighteen months, the government has closed down two TV stations, Channel One and Jamuna TV, YouTube and Facebook (400 million people worldwide use California-based Facebook, of which Bangladesh accounts for over 876,020 users, mostly youth) on various pretexts. It has closed several TV talk shows and imposed different restrictions on telecast. There are informal instructions by the government agencies not to invite ‘wrong’ kind of people in TV programmes. Newspapers editors have been asked not to print material criticizing government and its policies. Pro-government hooligans attacked Mr. Nurul Kabir, Editor of the daily New Age for his strong criticisms on some government policies.
A number of international organizations, including “Committee to Protect Journalists”, “Reporters Without Borders” etc have criticized such undemocratic attitude of the ruling government in Bangladesh and for continuous repression of press.
Neighbor India has continued with hateful propaganda by their powerful media and pockets of influence worldwide that Bangladesh is a ‘dangerous’ country. Nevertheless, it result would not be the same again. The US-Israel-India axis of the Bush era seems to be in the process of gradually being down-graded as well as dismantled in the present Obama era.
অনলাইনে ছড়িয়ে ছিটিয়ে থাকা কথা গুলোকেই সহজে জানবার সুবিধার জন্য একত্রিত করে আমাদের কথা । এখানে সংগৃহিত কথা গুলোর সত্ব (copyright) সম্পূর্ণভাবে সোর্স সাইটের লেখকের এবং আমাদের কথাতে প্রতিটা কথাতেই সোর্স সাইটের রেফারেন্স লিংক উধৃত আছে ।