Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami X (formerly Twitter) account have hailed US Ambassador Peter Haas’ recent remark of including media under the visa restriction policy.

While doing so, they have also named certain media outlets and journalists, despite the United States saying it will not release the names or numbers of people in Bangladesh subjected to the visa restrictions.

Also read: Haas raises eyebrows by saying members of media may face visa restrictions

“Visa records are confidential under US law,” US Embassy Spokesperson Bryan Schiller had told UNB earlier.

Some senior journalists have criticized Haas and BNP-Jamaat leaders, activists and social media platforms, saying this is a clear act of “intimidation and affront to the freedom of press,” targeting certain media outlets and journalists ahead of the national election.

Also read: US visa restrictions: State Dept spokesperson refrains from mentioning media

BNP leaders and pro-BNP personalities, including Dr Shakhawat Hossain Sayantha, secretary general of the political think tank G9, and Rumeen Farhana, BNP's international affairs secretary, lashed out at media outlets and journalists who ran reports that have been critical of the party.

In separate videos, circulated on social media and shared by their supporters, both have hailed the US ambassador’s recent remark on including media in the visa restrictions and named a number of private television channels that BNP has boycotted.

Dr Sayantha presented a list of journalists — critical of BNP and Jamaat — who he said would be “subjected to the US visa restrictions” while Rumeen echoed a similar view.

Also read: What could be the possible reasons to apply US visa restrictions against someone?

Basherkella, a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami X (Twitter) account, also tweeted that Haas “is a true friend of Bangladesh.” This particular social media account made news for running what the minority Ahmadiyya community called a “hate campaign” against them.

In the past, BNP’s media cell affiliated magazine’s official twitter handle, tweets from which are retweeted by BNP supporters and activists, claimed that the party boycotting Somoy TV talk shows had resulted in a decline in its viewership.

Somoy TV authorities, however, said this claim was untrue.

Such claims are meant to “intimidate and prevent” the media from carrying out reportage ahead of the national election, analysts and senior journalists say.

Though US Ambassador Peter Haas mentioned inclusion of media in the visa restriction policy for Bangladesh, the United States Department of State refrained from mentioning media.

Responding to a question specifically on the inclusion of media in the visa restrictions, the US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “I think what we have said, and we – so we have not announced because visa records are confidential – we have not announced the specific members or the specific individuals to which this will apply, but it made clear that they will apply to members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition.”

Earlier this year, following BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir lashing out at Somoy TV for “running a story” on the conviction of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, a revelation by a senior journalist on how BNP-Jamaat cadres “persuaded journalists to report and telecast videos of firebombing vehicles years back” went viral. Scores of people sustained burn injuries during the firebombing and arson attacks in 2013-14.