Is Bangladesh Asia's Most Unsafe Place for Journalists?
|
DHAKA, Mar 8 (OneWorld) - As New York-based media watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), last week described Bangladesh as the most violent country for journalists in Asia, the local media appealed to the government for protection.
The government slammed the report, saying the CPJ did not draw its conclusions by gathering media repression data from all Asian countries. But the glare of publicity produced instant results. Bangladesh responded to the SOS, asking the police and district administrators to ensure special security for journalists. At the end of its week-long visit Friday, the four-member CPJ delegation expressed deep concern at media repression in Bangladesh, while simultaneously lauding the presence of a strong media in the country. "I can't think of taking risks to continue my profession here as a journalist. It takes real courage to be a journalist in Bangladesh," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper of the US. "In Bangladesh journalists are working increasingly under threat," she added. "Those who try to silence journalists must be held accountable. Without justice - for those who attack journalists as well as those who order such attacks - the cycle of violence will continue," stressed Cooper. Cooper, who led the team of Abi Wright from the US, Iqbal Athas from Sri Lanka and Andreas Harsono from Indonesia, urged the government to vigorously investigate and prosecute all those who murder, assault or threaten journalists in Bangladesh. She added that physical assaults and intimidation were almost commonplace, especially in rural areas where journalists were threatened, beaten severely, or murdered just for reporting. "Without justice, the cycle of violence will continue, and so will Bangladesh's reputation as the most violent country in Asia for journalists," said a CPJ statement. The CPJ observed that the police must recognize the right of a journalist to cover public demonstrations safely, calling for investigations into the beatings of several journalists covering a March 3 Dhaka University demonstration against the attack on writer Humayun Azad. The CPJ delegation was present in the city when the incident took place. In an account of violence against newspersons in the southwest, CPJ said since 1997, at least seven journalists were killed and dozens assaulted or threatened in Bangladesh. The CPJ delegation met journalists, ministers and politicians, including Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, but a request for a meeting with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was not granted. The CPJ recommended timely investigation and prosecution of all those who attacked and threatened journalists during the past several years. But the government refuses to accept the CPJ's conclusion. "The present democratic government never took any step against any journalist or paper for publishing any news. Rather, it has instructed deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to ensure security for journalists so they can carry out their responsibilities safely," said a press statement issued Saturday by the Ministry of Information. But the reality is different. In December 2002, Reuters stringer Enamul Haq was tortured and put behind bars for about two months for wrongly quoting Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury. The same year saw two more journalists, Salim Samad and Shahriar Kabir, arrested, tortured and accused of sedition because they were involved in reporting minority repression in the country, an issue always denied by the ruling right-wing government. Last year, to teach the independent media a lesson, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Parliamentary Affairs Advisor Salahuddin Kader Chowdhury and his followers filed four cases in four districts against two leading dailies, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo. Along with government harassment, criminals and ruling party activists continue attacking the media. In February, three journalists were assaulted, one arrested, 37 threatened, and 13 implicated in different types of cases. "We would expect the government to take measures to ensure security for journalists. Otherwise, Bangladesh will continue to remain the most violent Asian nation for the press and the situation will only worsen," protests the president of the pro-opposition faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury. While journalists cutting across the political divide agree the media needs protection, there is a split on whether Bangladesh is indeed the worst place for the press in Asia. Says the secretary general of the pro-government faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Ruhul Amin Gazi, "There is no doubt that journalists here are exposed to high professional risks, but I don't agree with the way the CPJ drew its conclusion because it lacked supporting data." The president of the pro-government faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), Elahi Newaj Khan, has similar views. Information Minister Tariqul Islam observes that most journalists were killed in the southwestern areas where some outlawed parties were active. He says the government has asked the administration to ensure security of journalists. The Home Minister says the government is trying to solve all cases of journalistic repression or murder as soon as possible. "There is no delay in investigation and prosecution of cases, but the decisions of the courts are beyond the jurisdiction of the government," Chowdhury argues. |
Printable version
Back to top
