Bangladesh

>> Report of the IPI Press Freedom Mission to Bangladesh (27 November - 3 December 2008)

>> IPI Justice Denied Campaign: The case of Mohammad Atiqullah Khan Masud

by Barbara Trionfi

The lifting of the state of emergency in Bangladesh on 17 December, ahead of the 29 December national elections, marked a hopeful development in a country that had been ruled by a caretaker administration nominated to lead the country to elections. The elections themselves, originally scheduled for January 2007, were repeatedly postponed after widespread violence in the run-up to elections that same month led to the enforcement of the emergency law.

Sheik Hasina, head of the Awami League party, assured an IPI delegation that visited Bangladesh in early December that she was committed to media freedom. However, even after his party’s electoral victory on 29 December, concerns remain that the restoration of the two-party system in Bangladesh might increase the antagonism between the political parties and the Bangladeshi media that are greatly polarized along political lines.

Journalists covering corruption remained at risk of harassment and even torture. In March, Rabiul Islam, a journalist for The Daily Sunshine, a Bangla-language newspaper, was arrested, assaulted and dragged to a police station. He was detained for 12 hours and accused of participating in a robbery, but released after the victim denied the journalist was involved in the offence. Rabiul has repeatedly written about corruption and other transgressions by the police force. In a show of solidarity, throughout his detention, a fellow journalist who happened to be at the police station remained there to ensure his colleague was not harmed. In addition, senior journalists contacted the station to inquire about Rabiul’s arrest.
The trial of journalist Jahangir Alam Akash, charged with extortion, served as a reminder of the real threat of such mistreatment. Akash, who works for both a daily and a television channel, was arrested in late 2007 after being accused of extortion. He was detained for four weeks, and allegedly tortured by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the local police during this time. In 2008, his trial caused concern, with the prosecution accused of guiding its witnesses and Akash’s request for a hearing deferment denied, even though the journalist’s main defence counsel was unavailable.
Akash was not the only journalist to allege such mistreatment. A report released in 2008 by Odhikar, a human rights organization, concluded that Noor Ahmed, editor-in-chief of the Dainik Sylhet Protidin and secretary general of the Sylhet Press Club, was detained by members of the RAB in 2007, and tortured. Accused 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 Powers 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 defined as to include mere property crimes. In addition, the law introduced criminal 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 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 many available exemptions, with as many as 20 instances permitting request denials, including cases of corruption. The law also 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 November 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.

Bangladesh in Brief:

Population: 153 million

Domestic Overview: Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. After 15 years of military rule, democracy was restored in 1990. Bangladesh has a parliamentary democracy based on universal suffrage. The 13th amendment (1996) of the constitution provides for the organisation of general elections by a non-partisan caretaker government. In January 2007, following weeks of turmoil ahead of parliamentary elections, the caretaker government postponed the election and declared a state of emergency, which was eventually lifted in December 2008.

Beyond Borders: Bangladesh holds good relations with India, Pakistan, China and other South Asian counties, as well as Russia. Bangladesh has been very active within the United Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).