Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said BNP’s public threat to journalists about consequences unless they toe in their line, is designed to terrorize and muzzle the realm of free press ahead of the national election, exposing sheer disregard for press, reports BSS.
“In a show of sheer disregard for press freedom , Bangladesh Nationalist Party now launched fresh assault warning journalists of dire consequences unless they toe the line ahead of the election”, Sajeeb Wazed twitted on Saturday.
Joy made the observation with a video report with series of past news reports that chronicled systematic attack on media persons by BNP men over the course of last few years including attack on journalists, hurling abuses to talk-show moderators, passing misogynic remarks on female anchors and ceaseless issuance of threats against journalists by top leadership from public rallies.
Recently BNP’s verified media cell from its verified facebook page issued a threat publicly “we are putting a tight leash on journalists: who are with democracy and who are with autocrats”.
“While in a democracy, free media embodies the freedom to hold both the government and the opposition accountable, but BNP’s dictum seeks to muzzle and terrorise media from operating freely,” said Joy.
The power of media in a democracy lies in the concept that journalists should spare none — ruling party and opposition both, he said.
But this direct threat from the party’s media cell clearly expose the extreme intolerant face of the party and points to the threat BNP pose for media if comes to power, as they did earlier during 2001-06, he added.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
