Bangladesh Shuts Down Newspaper Of Main Opposition Party

A judge upheld an order by the Bangladeshi government to shut down Dainik Dinkal, the newspaper of the country's main opposition party, forcing it to cease publication Monday after nearly four decades.

Citing the publisher of the newspaper, Tarique Rahman, who is also the acting chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a convicted criminal living abroad, the District Magistrate Court in the capital Dhaka on Dec. 26, 2022 declared publication of the newspaper illegal.

Those in charge of the Bengali language newspaper, however, continued publication after filing an appeal before the Bangladesh Press Council (BPC), an quasi-judicial institution that protects freedom of speech and regulates the press in Bangladesh which is headed by a judge of the High Court.

But the top authoritative press body rejected the appeal Sunday and upheld the order of the magistrate's court, forcing the daily to halt publication from Monday.

Hundreds of journalists in the country protested the order, deeming it an attack on freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Several journalists' organizations in Dhaka also staged rallies Monday near the National Press Club.

Journalist leaders called on the government to immediately lift the ban on Dainik Dinkal. They also warned of adopting a tougher stance if it refused to do so.

Speaking to Anadolu, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, the newspaper's managing editor, said the ban is the latest in a series of acts by the government to suppress freedom of the press and silence opposition voices.

"This government has already shut down more than 200 popular online news portals since it came to power (in 2009)," Biswas said, adding that despite submitting all of the documents required for a new publisher of the newspaper, a politically motivated judgement has shut down publication of the popular daily.

He said that due to the arbitrary move, around 1,500 employees of the newspaper have lost their jobs amid a global economic crisis.

"We are urging the government to immediately allow us to publish our newspaper," Biswas said, adding they would appeal to the Supreme Court after getting a hard copy of the Press Council's order.

The international community has expressed concerns over the deteriorating condition of press freedom in Bangladesh due to the abuse of a draconian digital law, the Digital Security Act.

Under the controversial law, hundreds of people have been reportedly detained in politically motivated cases, including dozens of journalists in the last couple of years.

Bangladesh ranked 162 in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 prepared by Reporters Without Borders, below Russia and Afghanistan . -