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Published on May 3, 2025
On this press freedom day, we express deepest sympathies and stand in solidarity with thousands of journalists who have been terrorised with vile threats of mob violence, indicted in outrageous murder charges, fell victim to physical assaults and forcibly removed from their jobs over past seven months but still standing firm defying state sponsored persecution, an open display of integrity to serve the nation in an objective manner.
We protest and appeal for an end to the brazen justification of brutal persecution of journalists with indiscriminate tagging as “agents of Awami League”, another marker that expose the fear of the regime supporters from a free press.
In seven months, Bangladesh witnessed highest number of journalists implicated in ridiculous murder charges, a glaring marker of weaponisation of legal system to muzzle press freedom and install a climate of fear to terrorise independent voices and snatch away freedom of expression with a singular objective to use media for narrative building exercises.
There is no denial that the path for journalists have been fraught with challenges but use of mob violence to force media outlets to terminate journalists simply for asking questions to responsible people marked a disastrous blow to country’s pursuit to make journalism independent, free from interference. Also daylight vandalism and arson on headquarters of media outlets, as evidenced under so called reform scheme, will remain as a blot on the state managed assault on the fourth pillar of state.
The tall claim to ensure ideal work environment for journalists by the regime has emerged out as a farce with the world community and rather unleashed an unprecedented wave of repression on the entire journalist community in Bangladesh.
we earnestly appeal all political parties to stop demonise and vilify journalists with random labelling as AL agents to flaunt accountability and control narrative and stand against the regime’s brutal repression on press as controlling the flow of information would only plunge the country into further chaos and weaken our quest for democracy.
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