The Bangladesh Parliament Journalists Association (BPJA) on Tuesday strongly condemned the ‘restriction on journalists’ access’ to the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected members of the 13th Parliament.

In a statement, the BPJA President Harun Jamil and General Secretary Shawkat Ali Khan Litho expressed deep concern over what they described as a sudden and unexplained decision to limit media entry to the swearing-in event.

According to the BPJA leaders, journalists have been allowed access to parliamentary proceedings, including oath-taking ceremonies, in all of the previous 12 parliaments.

The statement alleged that the situation arose due to the inefficiency, inexperience and arbitrary decisions of a senior official at the Parliament Secretariat.

The BPJA leaders said they held several meetings with the concerned authorities and requested that journalists be allowed access to areas outside the main ceremony venue, as had been the practice in the past.

They also urged the Secretariat to at least permit entry for journalists holding valid accreditation cards. Although assurances were reportedly given, no effective steps were taken, they claimed.

As a result, journalists were unable to cover the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected members, which the association described as “deeply unfortunate”.

The BPJA called on the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against those responsible for creating distance between Parliament and the media and to ensure that such restrictions are not repeated in future.