Bangladesh’s Incoming Government Must Safeguard Press Freedom, CPJ Says
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Bangladesh’s incoming government to uphold constitutional guarantees of press freedom and take immediate measures to protect journalists.
In a post on its verified Facebook page on Friday, CPJ stated that concerns raised in its pre-election letters to major political parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), and Jatiya Party—must now be addressed through reforms that promote accountability and safeguard independent news media.
The organisation called on elected representatives to reject violence, intimidation, and the misuse of criminal or national-security laws against journalists.
CPJ stressed that press freedom is essential for democracy and should remain a priority as Bangladesh transitions to a new administration.
Ahead of the national election on January 29, CPJ disclosed that it had written to the country’s major political parties, highlighting research showing that risks to journalists had risen in the lead-up to the polls.
The letters also referenced mob attacks last December on the offices of two prominent newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, which CPJ described as a troubling precedent for journalist safety.
