Censorship in Bangladesh
Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, has accused Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina of marching towards authoritarianism through intimidating the free press and cracking down on freedom of expression.
Editors told the HRW that they censor 50 to 80 percent of the stories they get as a form of self censorship to prevent trouble with the government.
Freedom House has reported that the Awami League government has consolidated its power through the intimidation of political rivals and journalists.
After Netra news, based in Sweden, claiming two million would die in the pandemic in Bangladesh, government intelligence agents visited the mother of its editor, Tasneem Khalil, in Sylhet.
According to The Diplomat, any information that is deemed critical of Sheikh Hasina led Awami League is called "rumors" by the government.
The editor of Manab Zamin, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, reported that journalists were practicing self censorship.
[18] In 1994, Bangladesh Censor Board banned Nodir Naam Modhumoti, by Tanvir Mokammel, for being "anti-nationalistic".The film was released after Awami League returned to power.
[18] In 2005, the Ministry of Home Affairs tried to censor Teardrops of Karnaphuli, a documentary about the effect of Kaptai Dam on the indigenous community in Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The Censor board forced the removal of scene showing street harassment from the movie Third Person Singular Number.
[19] In 2015, the government blocked social media sites for 22 days following protests the verdicts of International Crimes Tribunal.
[20] In May 2017, the government of Bangladesh blocked a website of Swedish Radio after it published a report containing a confessional statement over extrajudicial murders by an officer of Rapid Action Battalion.
[20] In 2017, the government of Bangladesh blocked The Wire, an Indian newspaper, following a report on Directorate General of Forces Intelligence abducting an academic.
[20] From 1 to 2 June 2018, the government of Bangladesh blocked the website of The Daily Star for in-depth investigation into the drug trade.
[19] In August 2018, Shahidul Alam, was arrested after he an interview critical of the government of Bangladesh on Al Jazeera English.
[5] On 20 March 2019, the government blocked aljazeera.com after it published report that implicated Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Defense Advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in the abduction of his business associates.
[21][5] The Joban, a Bengali language news website, was blocked after publishing the report on Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
In this cases both websites were blocked by intelligence agencies circumventing Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and proper procedure.
[25] The cases were filled by Saifuzzaman Shikhor, a Member of Parliament and former Assistant Personal Secretary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The government suspended those who were involved with the arrest, Rintu Chakma, Nazim Uddin, and SM Rahatul Islam.
[33] In 2010, the government of Bangladesh ordered the removal of all books written by Syed Abul Ala Maududi, founder of Jamaat-e-Islami party, from mosques and libraries.
