Staff Reporter :
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has announced that the government will seek the assistance of the United Nations (UN) to independently prepare a report on the role of media in Bangladesh over the past 15 years.
Speaking at a discussion titled “Bangladesh after the July Revolution: Challenges of the Media”, jointly organised by the Chattogram Press Club and Chattogram Metropolitan Journalists Union, Alam praised the UN’s recent report on the mass killings during the July-August uprising as “transparent and excellent”.
He said Bangladesh would formally request the UN to establish an expert panel to investigate the media’s involvement in key national events.
“We aim to commission a report that comprehensively documents the media’s role in events such as the three general elections, the International Crimes Tribunal convictions, the post-verdict violence following Maulana Sayeedi’s case, the Shapla Chattar incident, and other critical developments,” Alam said.
The Press Secretary also addressed allegations that some journalists had handed over protesters to law enforcement during the July uprising in Chattogram.
“This is a serious matter that warrants an impartial investigation,” he said. “I urge the Journalists Union and the Press Club to form an independent probe committee including a judge and a retired police officer.
ccountability is essential. If the student movement had failed, the media’s complicity would have been far more apparent.”
Alam asserted that Bangladeshis are now enjoying greater freedom of expression than at any time in the nation’s history.
“Citizens are freely expressing their views and openly criticising the government,” he said. “Some suggest we are being too lenient on past regime supporters, but we are adhering to the rule of law.”
He recalled that Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus had met with editors shortly after the formation of the interim government, encouraging them to write without fear.
Looking ahead to the upcoming national election, Alam urged the media to act with integrity. “Every newspaper should establish a fact-checking cell. Responsible journalism is vital in this post-revolutionary context.”
He also criticised recent coverage by Indian media, alleging that it was spreading disinformation in collaboration with Awami League members.
“Certain Indian outlets, alongside AL figures, are investing significant resources in misinformation campaigns targeting Bangladesh. We expect these efforts to intensify ahead of the election,” he warned.
Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, who presented a concept paper at the event, addressed concerns regarding press freedom and digital regulation.
He acknowledged that the now-defunct Digital Security Act had posed a major threat to journalistic freedom, and noted that while it was replaced by the Cyber Security Act, “little had changed in substance.”
“The interim government has taken the decision to repeal the Cyber Security Act altogether. All prior cases filed against journalists under the previous legislation have been withdrawn, and no new cases have been filed,” he said. “We anticipate that the Council of Advisers will approve the final repeal next week.”
The meeting was chaired by Jahidul Karim Kochi, Member Secretary of the Chattogram Press Club Interim Committee. Obaidur Rahman Shahin, Acting President of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), and Quader Gani Chowdhury, BFUJ Secretary General, also spoke at the event.
