BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said their party will form a commission to ensure free and transparent journalism if it returns to power.
“Journalism in Bangladesh was completely devastated during the fascist era. BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has always been vocal in favour of independent journalism. A commission will be formed in the future to ensure press freedom,” he said.
He made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled ‘Journalism during fascist regime and present situation’ at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), organised by the Ziaur Rahman Study Circle.
Khosru alleged that the ruling Awami League has destroyed journalism in Bangladesh over the past 15 years. He said many journalists were forced to leave the country as they could not survive in the hostile environment, while others abandoned the profession altogether.
“I personally helped a few journalists go abroad since they could not sustain themselves here,” he added.
Stressing the need for a clear division between management and editorial practices in media houses, the BNP leader said, “Just as the Hasina government destroyed the state by removing the dividing line between the judiciary, the Election Commission and Parliament, it also destroyed journalism by removing the dividing line between media management and journalists.”
He said democracy cannot flourish without political democracy, economic democracy and freedom of expression.
Referring to a cartoon of Tarique Rahman drawn after August 5, Khosru said, “Instead of being angry or critical, Tarique himself shared it and praised the cartoonist. This is what respect for free media and freedom of expression looks like.”
He advised journalists to remain objective in their reporting regardless of their personal political ideals.
Khosru also said the hopes and aspirations of the people in Bangladesh have changed after the mass uprising in July.
“Any political party that fails to understand and realise the change that has taken place in the minds of the Bangladeshi people — the expectations and hopes that have grown since Sheikh Hasina's departure — will have no place in the future politics of Bangladesh,” he warned.
Former Senior Assistant Press Secretary to former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Ashik Islam, presented the keynote at the seminar.
In his paper, Ashik said the Awami League government introduced the Digital Security Act (DSA) in 2018 to permanently prevent the media and journalists from reporting objectively.
He said 1,436 cases were filed under the DSA, accusing at least 4,520 individuals between October 2018 and September 2023.
At least 451 journalists were taken to court during this period, including 209 from national media and 197 from local outlets. A total of 97 journalists were arrested, 50 of them being local reporters, Ashik said.
Mohammad Kashem, Chief Executive of the Ziaur Rahman Study Circle, presided over the seminar, which was moderated by former DRU president Mursalin Nomani.