BANGLADESH: Hasina laments lack of press freedom

Awami League president slams ruling party for repression of journalists at convention

The Daily Star
Monday, December 19, 2005

Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday said journalists are facing obstacles due to absence of freedom of speech, rule of law and human rights.

She went on to label the ruling alliance ministers and its cadres as the perpetrators of repression on journalists at a national convention against 'Repression on Journalists' at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Hasina, also the Awami League (AL) president, said the journalists should identify and prepare a list of the ministers and members of the parliament who are patronising the torturers and killers of journalists in each village, thana and district.

"The day is not far away when you will be able to write about their misdeeds, which you cannot now," she assured the journalists present at the convention.

She also alleged the government is trying to build up the image of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) by engaging them to arrest Islamist militants whom the government itself has been patronising.

"Militants are being arrested with huge number of grenades and detonators in their possessions and are not being subjected to crossfire. They look unconcerned on TV screens," said Hasina, adding that the nonchalant attitude of the arrested militants is an indication that they have the government's protection.

She said if Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, different intelligence agencies, the prime minister, ministers, and the people who frequent a certain Bhaban were grilled, all the information about the terrorist attacks would come out and the attacks would stop.

"The alliance government is staging a drama of militancy and terror bombings across the country in its bid to divert public attention from unbridled corruption, repression, killings and misrule and to escape the people's wrath," she said.

Speaking as special guest Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain said Jamaat Ameer Nizami's remark that Bangla Bhai was a creation of the media has been proven false so he should make apologies to the journalists.

Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haq Inu, Communist Party of Bangladesh President Manjurul Ahsan Khan, Jatiya Party lawmaker GM Kader, Vice-chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council Barrister Rokan Uddin Mahmud, Supreme Court Bar Association President Advocate Mahbubey Alam, President of Dhaka University Teachers' Association Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique and Asif Kabir, son of slain journalist Humayun Kabir Balu also spoke.

President of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury chaired the convention while its general secretary Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul conducted it.

Referring to prime minister's request to journalists not to publish negative news and pictures as those have been purportedly sullying the country's image abroad Sheikh Hasina said had it not tarnished the country's image when BNP cadres sliced up a businessman and his son into 250 pieces, when ministers are earning hundreds of crores of taka, and when her family owns new television channels.

Investigations of all the bomb attacks that had occurred during the AL regime of the immediate past were completed during her tenure as the prime minister, Hasina said. Referring to the bomb attack on the cultural programme of Udichi at Jessore in 1999 she said the present government inducted an accused in the bomb case into the cabinet and appointed him as a minister.

"When a prime accused in a bombing case is inducted as a minister, then where will people go for justice?" she questioned.

Referring to the recent 10-truck load of arms haul in Chittagong she said inquiry into the arms smuggling had not been conducted yet.

"Many such caches are being smuggled quite often, but those are also not being intercepted," she said adding that names of powerful persons affiliated with the current government would surface in connection with the arms haul if a proper investigation would be conducted.

Terming the alliance government as a killer and patron of terrorists Hasina said the government wants to cling to power forcefully. She asked all to build up a strong movement against the government.

"Freedom of the nation lies in implementation of 14-party's 23-point programme," she told the convention.

The scene at the convention turned heavy with melancholy when Sheikh Hasina expressed condolences to the family members of slain journalists present there.

The convention started with a documentary show on how the government purportedly conspired and succeeded in shutting down a popular TV channel ETV by cancelling its licence.

Dr Kamal said, "We shed tears when the government shut down the ETV without any reason."

He also said the constitution guarantees that all power belongs to the people, but the government is overlooking the constitution and tormenting the people with terrorism, bomb blasts and price hikes of essentials instead.

Terming the 23-point programme of the 14-party opposition coalition as people oriented he urged the people to extend their all out support to the coalition.

Date Posted: 12/19/2005