FOcus On - International Press Institute

guiding its witnesses and Akash’s request
for a hearing deferment denied, even
though the journalist’s main defence
coun sel was unavailable.
Akash was not the only journalist to
allege such mistreatment. A report relea -
sed in 2008 by Odhikar, a human rights
organization, concluded that Noor Ah -
med, editor-in-chief of the Dainik Sylhet
Protidin and secretary general of the Syl -
het Press Club, was detained by members
of the RAB in 2007, and tortured. Ac -
cused of extortion, Noor Ahmed alleges
that he was repeatedly beaten with a
stick, and ultimately signed a statement
he could no longer read. Noor Ahmed
had been investigating both the RAB and
a local police inspector regarding possible
corruption.
Bangladeshi editors joined together
for a unified call for the release of imprisoned
editor Mohammad Atiqullah Khan
Masud in September. IPI’s Justice Denied
Campaign calls attention to the fate of
Atiqullah Khan, editor of the daily
Janakantha, arrested without warrant in
March 2007 under the Emergency Po -
wers Rules. Atiqullah Khan, an outspoken
advocate of press freedom, faces a
plethora of charges. The editors’ appeal
for his release, supported by editors of the
country’s 14 national dailies, emphasised
Atiqullah Khan’s deteriorating health and
the destabilizing effect of his incarceration
on his newspaper’s already precarious
financial situation.
Bangladesh’s media environment this
year was also affected by legislative developments.
A controversial counterterrorism
ordinance was adopted by the military-backed
interim government in June.
It was criticized both for being approved
without public hearings, and for containing
provisions susceptible to abuse. For
example, terrorist acts were so broadly
de fined as to include mere property cri -
mes. In addition, the law introduced cri -
minal penalties for speech intended to
“support or bolster” the activities of a
banned organization, with no requirement
that incitement of criminal conduct
is demonstrated.
The new Right to Information law
provided at least partly positive news,
though many considered it insufficient.
The law, approved by the advisers to the
interim administration in September,
was published in the official Bangladesh
Gazette on 20 October. It was lauded for
Bangladesh Awami League President
and former PM Sheik Hasina
(Reuters/Andrew Biraj)
applying broadly to all information held
by all public bodies, but the press freedom
organisation Article 19 noted several
deficiencies. In particular, the organization
voiced concern regarding the ma -
ny available exemptions, with as many as
20 instances permitting request denials,
including cases of corruption. The law al -
so failed to protect good-faith disclosures.
Towards the end of the year, all attention
focussed on the landmark elections
held on 29 December. An IPI mission
that travelled to Dhaka from 27 Novem -
ber to 2 December elicited commitments
to an open media environment during
elections from the main political parties,
the Interim Administration and the
Election Commission. Furthermore, representatives
of the political parties that
met with the IPI mission pledged to
investigate the killings of more than a
dozen journalists.
Recommendations
End impunity in the crimes against
journalists
Bring Bangladeshi laws in line
with international standards
on press freedom
Enact a broadcasting law including
provisions supporting media freedom,
as well as a suitable commitment
to public service
Mission
Press Freedom in Bangladesh
From 27 November to 2 December
2008, IPI conducted a high-level
mis sion to Dhaka, Bangladesh to assess
the country’s media environment ahead
of the 29 December National Elections,
as well as to elicit commitments from the
heads of the two main political parties to
support the right of journalists to report
on the general elections without harassment
or interference.
The mission included IPI Director
David Dadge; Owais Aslam Ali, Sec re ta -
ry General of the Pakistan Press Foun d -
ation (PPF) and Chairman of Pakistan
Press International (PPI), Karachi; and
Padma Singh Karki, Chairman of the IPI
Nepal National Committee and editor
and publisher of the Gatibidhi Weekly in
Kathmandu. Bulbul Monjurul Ahsan,
Head of News and Current Affairs at
ATN Bangla and Executive Director of
Media Watch, Bangladesh, was the local
coordinator for the mission.
Perpetrators of crimes
against journalists are
gene rally not prosecuted
and the authorities
do not seem to take the
cases seriously
The members of the IPI mission met
with journalists, editors and media owners
as well as with the head of the Awami
League, leaders of the Bangladesh Natio -
n alist Party (BNP), the Chief Advisor to
the Interim Government, the Directorate
General of Forces Intelligence, the At -
torney General, and the Chief Election
Commissioner, among others.
Meetings with Editors
and Journalists
One of the main problems highlighted by
journalists is that media outlets in Bang -
ladesh are politically polarized, and tend
to favour either the Awami League or the
BNP, the two main political parties.
Some journalists noted that they should
attempt to bridge this divide by agreeing
on best practices of journalism, rather
than focussing on supporting particular
political parties.
Editors expressed concern about laws
and practices that have a chilling effect
on their ability to report on issues of public
interest. Criminal defamation was spe -
cifically mentioned as a problem.
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