BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday said that although there were many television channels and newspapers in the country over the past 17 years, freedom of expression was effectively limited to one person and one political party.

“Over the past 17 years, we saw that there were many television channels and many newspapers. But speaking out and expressing opinions were allowed only for one person and one political party,” he said.

Rizvi said those who tried to express views outside that framework either became victims of enforced disappearance or had to remain in jail.

“That situation was terrible,” he said.

He made the remarks while speaking at a programme organised on the premises of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) to mark its 31st founding anniversary.

“The media were under their control, talk shows were under their control, and the talk show hosts were under their control. They controlled social media in various ways,” he said.

He, however, praised journalists working at the grassroots level for keeping alive some light of democracy during that period.

“Those who were journalists at the field level were only burning dimly, but many of them who are sitting here kept the light of democracy burning to some extent. They tried even amid that situation,” he said.

Rizvi said the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) had played an important role in Bangladesh’s struggle for democracy.

“At a time when freedom of expression was suppressed, when speaking out was considered a sin and saying anything against the government was considered a grave wrongdoing, the DRU never hesitated to publish and disseminate whatever little space we had,” he said.

He said journalists also faced pressure during that period, with many of them being subjected to harassment, imprisonment and persecution under repressive laws, including the Digital Security Act.

Against this backdrop, Rizvi said, the country was now enjoying an open environment where everyone would have the opportunity to express their views freely.

“Those who are in government, those outside the government and the opposition parties outside the government will freely criticise. They will constructively criticise the government's activities. This is how a democratic society and state are built,” he said.

Rizvi said the media is an important pillar of that democratic commitment.