DRU, DUJ urge easy access to Bangladesh Bank for journalists

The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) strongly condemned and protested the restriction on journalists' access to the Bangladesh Bank offices.

The two Dhaka-based platforms expressed deep concerns over the restrictions in separate statements.

DRU Acting President Shafiqul Islam Shameem and General Secretary Mohi Uddin signed a statement issued on Friday.

In the statement, DRU said that reporters have always been freely collecting information from the Bangladesh Bank and publishing objective news.

It added that the sudden barriers were intentional and went against independent journalism. It added that there would be a risk of wrong reporting about the banking sector because of the restrictions, which is not desirable for any party.

Meanwhile, DUJ President Sohel Haider Chowdhury and General Secretary Akhter Hossain said obstructing journalists from performing their professional duties was a threat to the freedom of the press.

The union issued the statement on Saturday.

Journalists have been collecting information from the Bangladesh Bank for 53 years, it said, urging the BB governor to ensure journalists' access.

Earlier, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) also called for immediate withdrawal of the decision.

The TIB had said that the restriction was an "unethical and authoritarian" step hindering the legal right of people to access information.

The Bangladesh Bank recently has restricted the entry of journalists to its offices for the first time in its history. As a result, journalists have not been able to cover the key beat properly in the past one month.