Page 2 - Faruq Faisel News Today

The current laws governing press freedom have their roots in the colonial era, as we continue to uphold the Penal Code of 1860 and its addition, the sedition law.

Media experts and advocates for freedom of expression have argued that there is no direct law to protect the journalists in most of the countries in South Asia.

The political parties must engage in a dialogue to end the political impasse caused by conflicting positions of the ruling Awami League and opposition parties over a polls-time government.

Though the country’s constitution guarantees freedom of press and expression, some British-era and post-independence acts, which had a colonial legacy, are still being used to control public, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.

When Shamsuzzaman Shams walked out of prison on bail last week, his colleagues draped garlands around the Bangladeshi journalist’s neck. Shams, a reporter for the daily Prothom Alo newspaper, had spent six days in the Dhaka Central Jail over accusations that he published “false news” about food prices. He now faces two legal complaints under…

Arrest of reporter from Bangladeshi daily paper comes as analysts note increase in use of law against critics and opposition voices

Matiur Rahman, editor of Prothom Alo, has been charged under the Digital Security Act 2018, a clear example of legal harassment in Bangladesh.

New Age, a Dhaka-based leading English language daily newspaper, is a major source of news of Bangladesh and international affairs

Raids on BBC offices in India following the broadcast of a controversial documentary are an assault on media freedom.

Bangladesh’s draconian Digital Security Act, under which hundreds of people have been arrested since 2018, has caused particular alarm.