Human Rights Watch today urged the Bangladesh government to immediately repeal a new media policy that imposes draconian restrictions on media freedom.
“This policy exemplifies how little appreciation the government has for free speech,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“This vague policy will allow the government to take arbitrary action against those it sees as its political opponents and could be a precursor to legislation that would lead to censorship and criminal penalties,” he said.
The policy, which was published in the official government gazette on August 6, contains overly broad language and imprecise definitions that appear aimed at significantly curtailing critical reporting, the report claimed.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s veiled threats in defence of the media policy are of particular concern, the HRW said.
Speaking with reporters on August 28, she warned journalists not to “cross the line” set down in the new guidelines, the rights body said quoting local media.
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