Media in Bangladesh ---penalised for speaking out
Last August, a religious group and instigated by the Islami Oikya Jote, a coalition partner of the government called for the arrest of anyone involved with a play staged in the town of Faridpur, in southwest region of the country. The play detailed the life of Prophet Muhammad. The police arrested the playwright, as well as two journalists, Amalesh Rai and Alokesh Rai who were suspected to have written the drama. In addition, several Hindu journalists in Faridpur town also received death threats and a group armed with machetes and axes attacked a reporter after he publicly criticised the protestors.
In October, Time magazine reported that Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan had sought refuge in Bangladesh. In its report, the American weekly noted, "The Bangladeshi government typically reacts with fury to reports of Jihadi camps or fundamentalism within its borders." Foreign Secretary Shamser Mobin Chowdhury called the report, "irresponsible and malicious" and suggested it was part of "an orchestrated campaign designed to malign the country’s international image as a liberal, democratic country."
By the end of 2002 there was a wave of arrests of journalists linked to this "international conspiracy". Many scribes were detained, including two foreign journalists. The government exploited popular patriotic sentiment by convincing the population that certain Bangladeshi and foreign journalists were trying to destabilise the country by publicising negatively the rise of Islam. Journalists who opposed the government`s position were subjected to harassment and intimidation with the support of the pro-Islamic and pro-ruling party press.
In November, authorities detained two Channel-4 TV crew members, Zaiba Malik, a Briton, and Bruno Sorrentino, an Italian, on charges of sedition. The duo was preparing a documentary entitled "Unreported World" which looking at Bangladesh`s development from secularism to Islamification. The Home Ministry said that they had been arrested for their "malicious intent of portraying Bangladesh as an Islamic fanatical country." They were released after 16 days and were deported after signing a statement that debarred them from using any of their footage from Bangladesh. However, journalists Priscila Raj and RSF correspondent Saleem Samad, who had worked for the Channel 4 TV crew as interpreters and handlers were also detained and charged with involvement in "anti-state activities."
Later, Shahriar Kabir, a documentary filmmaker and columnist for the largest circulated daily Janakantha and author of several books about Bangladesh’s war crimes, was put behind bars in November 2001, for "anti-state activities." Officials arrested him at the Dhaka airport when he returned from India where he had gone to interview Hindus who fled from Bangladesh following attacks on their community after the October 1, 2001, parliamentary elections. Once again Kabir was arrested in mid-December and authorities said that he was being held in connection with a sedition case against two Channel 4 journalists.
Professor Muntassir Mamun, columnist, historian and a prominent government critic was arrested in early December in Dhaka. He had spoken out against the war crimes committed by pro-Islamist elements presently with the coalition government led by Begum Khaleda Zia. He was held under sedition laws and charged with trying to destabilise the government.
The police also arrested Enamul Haque Chowdhury, a reporter for the official news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and also stringer for Reuters. It was alleged that he fabricated comments attributed to the home minister that the Al-Qaeda may have been responsible for a series of bombings in Mymensingh that took place on December 7 and killed at least 17 people.
These examples show that the secular and independent press is consistently experiencing the wrath of the pro-right and pro-Islamist coalition government. But strangely despite this level of intimidation Bangladesh’s media landscape has never been so DIVerse or democratic. The country`s top five dailies are hugely respected and are considered to be pro-secular and independent. Indeed, the secular and independent press enjoys the overwhelming confidence of Bangladeshi civil society in general and also the people who matter in society. To be sure the closure of the country`s first private terrestrial channel, Ekushey TV (ETV), after a controversial court decision was a major blow to the DIVersity in the broadcast media but the presence of satellite Channel-I and ATN broadcasts has strengthened the existing secular, electronic media.
As soon as journalists expose bad governance of the democratically elected representatives of Parliament, municipality and even the lowest tier of local government, Union Parishad, the repressive measures by the establishment have been instantaneous. In contrast, it is the pro-Islamic and pro-government newspapers which are gradually loosing trust of the people.
This is an edited version of the paper which was presented on World Press Freedom Day, 3, May 2003 organised by Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) held at CIRDAB auditorium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Saleem Samad is an Ashoka Fellow, (USA) and correspondent of Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières. He is also a media consultant for the BCDJC. He can be contacted at <saleem@bangla.net>
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