POBNEWS24, Dhaka, April 5, 2025 : The fact that journalists who are guilty and should be punished are being attacked in a mass manner without taking action is against independent journalism and is a matter of fear, said IFJ, one of the international organizations that advocates for the rights of journalists.
This government of Yunus is a government of change, a government of reform. This government is a government to strengthen democracy, a government to strengthen freedom of expression. But at the moment, the torture that is being done against journalists through cases is murder cases, bail is not being granted. So it appears that the cases are planned so that bail is not granted. IFJ believes that this is tarnishing Bangladesh’s image in the world.
In August 2024, Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and took refuge in India through a mass uprising. But has the Yunus government been able to implement the goal and objective of that mass uprising in the last 8 months? Rather, it has been the opposite. The government is standing on the continuity of the unprecedented development that has taken place in the country during Sheikh Hasina’s 17 years.
Along with this, the sword that has fallen on journalists has broken all past records. Human rights, freedom, and freedom of expression have collapsed.
In Sheikh Hasina’s last election, there were allegations that her government was rigged through electoral votes and the Awami League came to the elections again.
What were the goals and objectives of the July mass uprising? The anti-discrimination student movement began from a specific dissatisfaction and complaint of the students. This movement was against the discriminatory quota system, where 56 percent of government jobs were determined through quotas. In particular, 30 percent of the positions were determined only for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, whose number is less than zero percent.
In a scarce job market where the number of educated unemployed was increasing, the High Court’s reinstatement of the 30 percent quota for the children of freedom fighters created great disappointment and anger among the students. They understood that their demands could not be met without a movement.
The official name of the anti-quota movement platform was given to the ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’. From this, many may have the impression that they were also against many other types of discrimination existing in society. What type of discrimination do they want to end in the discrimination they spoke of? Do they want an end to class discrimination?
Economic discrimination is inevitable in a capitalist system. Do they want an end to the existing capitalist economic system? Do they want an end to all economic and social discrimination? Probably not.
The question that the people of the country are asking the Yunus government is how far it has been implemented. The same accusations that Sheikh Hasina was expelled from the country are being leveled against the current government by the countrymen.
In 2009, the then Sheikh Hasina government took the initiative to open up the media. As a result, many corporate business organizations in Bangladesh took media licenses. This created a free flow of news. Journalists were given free freedom. Although there were allegations that licenses were given solely for party considerations, which was also voiced by negative commentators in the field. Amar Desh Patrika, Dainik Sangram were closed. Diganta and Islamic Television were closed.
In 2014, 24 private televisions, 23 FM radio stations and 50 televisions were approved across the country, including various news portals. As a result, media competition was created. Many media owners also took loans worth hundreds of crores of taka in the name of media organizations.
At times, temples of minorities have been vandalized, shops and business establishments have been looted, which have been reported in the media. The United Nations has also issued various statements based on those news. Indian media has broadcast all those news, especially during the July-August uprising. But how far has this government been able to get out of that continuity now? These kinds of questions are on the lips of the people of the country.
The IFJ has raised the issues internationally on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. These issues were also discussed in Bangladesh on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. The Editors’ Council has expressed concern over the cases currently being filed against 266 journalists in Bangladesh on charges of murder or violence-related crimes. The speakers alleged that such attacks (cases) against journalists on a mass scale are against independent journalism and are a matter of fear.
In 2012, the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina filed a case against Myanmar in an international tribunal and won 111,631 square kilometers of maritime border. This ensured Bangladesh’s right to maritime border up to 200 nautical miles from the coast of Bangladesh.
In 2014, it won 7,000 square kilometers of maritime border by filing a case against India.
In 2015, 110.81 square kilometers of new land was added to Bangladesh through a permanent solution to the enclave issue with India.
The total sum of which is 1,18,741.81 square kilometers, which is almost the size of a new Bangladesh. These aspects of Sheikh Hasina’s success also come up in the evaluation of the international organization IFZ.
Who sells the country, and who increases the size of the country! So many governments have come and gone in the country after independence, even if no one could increase the size of the country by 1 inch, the Awami League government has increased it. Sheikh Hasina has increased the size of Bangladesh by 1,18,741.81 square kilometers.
One thing that should be highlighted here is the reporter of this article, Mir Afroz Zaman. He is also the editor and publisher of this portal, Pobnews24. The office is Sonargaon Janpath Sector-7, Uttara Dhaka. Recently, Coordinator Noman and his team went to that office and made various threats. Mir Afroz Zaman has filed 2 GDs with Uttara Paschim Police Station regarding this matter. On May 4, the coordinators locked his office and locked the motorcycle below. Later, when Mir Afroz Zaman informed the OC of the police station about the matter, a police SI came to the spot, but they did not cooperate with the journalist. On the contrary, he further complained that “you are an agent of India, a fascist”. The police set a time for Mir Afroz Zaman to vacate the office on May 31. The complaint against this journalist is that he works as a Bangladesh correspondent for the Indian media UNI.
