Press Freedom Day today
World Press Freedom Day is being observed in Bangladesh and elsewhere today, at a time when press freedom around the world, according to a survey, has hit its lowest level in a decade.
Journalists faced intensified pressure from all sides in 2014 as they globally encountered more restrictions from governments, militants, criminals and media owners, said the annual report by human rights group Freedom House recently.
Meanwhile, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) in a statement yesterday urged the government and other stakeholders to create a congenial atmosphere where the media can play its role freely and impartially.
Though Bangladesh's position remained unchanged at 115 among 199 countries and territories studied in 2014 by the US based Freedom House, the report said the media are “partially free” in the South Asian country.
A total of 63 were rated "free" for the news media, while 71 were "partly free" and 65 "not free". Only 14 percent of the world's inhabitants live in countries with a free press, it said.
However, Bangladesh has slipped down two places in World Press Freedom Index 2015 of Reporters Without Borders. Bangladesh ranked 146 among 180 countries this year while Bangladesh was in the 144th position among 178 countries last year, said a recent RWB report.
According to Ain O Salish Kendra, this year 106 incidents took place in between January and March in the country when journalists were harassed, tortured or received threats from government officials, law enforcers and others and cases were filed against the media for publishing news.
According to the rights body, two journalists were killed while one died after being tortured by police and another went missing in 2014.
A total of 239 newsmen were tortured last year. Of the victims, 21 were tortured by law enforcers while 56 were criminals and 78 were tortured by different political party men, ASK said in its 2014 annual report.
At least 10 journalists were assaulted allegedly by the ruling party men during the recent city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong, while some reporters were robbed of their mobile phones, handbags and cash.
Also, polling officers, law enforcers and the ruling party men allegedly prevented reporters, photographers and cameramen from entering polling centres.
Under the circumstances, World Press Freedom Day is being observed today with the theme “Let Journalism Thrive”.
In a joint message yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said “...journalism must be able to thrive, in an enabling environment in which they [journalists] can work independently and without undue interference and in conditions of safety.”
“The world has recently witnessed horrendous attacks against journalists -- at least one journalist is killed each week, in conflict and non-conflict zones. We must redouble efforts to enhance the safety of journalists and put an end to impunity, and this is the goal of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists,” they said.
To mark the day, Bangladesh Federal Union Journalists is set to hold a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club at 11:00am today.
TIB
In yesterday's statement, TIB expressed its concern and frustration over the “unexpected interference” on media, torturing journalists and barring them from discharging their duties by a section of law enforcers.
The watchdog also expressed concerned over the killing of bloggers by religious fundamentalists, murder of journalists Sagar and Runi two years back and other security concern related to journalists.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the government, in one hand, enacted the Rights to Information Act-2009 and the Whistleblower Protection Act-2011 in its last tenure, on the other hand it amended the section 57 of Information and Communication Technology (amendment) Act-2013 and added some provisions to the National Broadcast Policy, which has posed threats to the freedom of expression of media and individuals.
He condemned the “unwritten embargo imposed discriminately” on some journalists to enter the office of the prime minister.
Iftekharuzzaman also urged the journalist leaders to enact and implement ethical code of conduct for professional development and to ensure objectivity and impartiality in journalism, said the statement.
The UN declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day in 1993 and the day has been observed since then.
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