Slain student fuels ‘second revolution’ in Bangladesh
Slain student fuels ‘second revolution’ in Bangladesh By SABRIA CHOWDHURY BALLAND “Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of our ease, their estates, their pleasure and their blood.” – […]
What’s next for democracy in Bangladesh after the tainted election?
What’s next for democracy in Bangladesh after the tainted election? In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party has won the elections with a 96 percent majority in the 300-member national parliament. While some say that kind of winning happen only in a country like North Korea; Bangladesh’ chief election commissioner says ‘we are satisfied, we […]
‘Our only aim is to go home’: Rohingya refugees face stark choice
Our only aim is to go home’: Rohingya refugees face stark choice With citizenship in Myanmar still denied, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh must either live under severe restrictions or move to an isolated island Life in the world’s largest refugee camp has grown harder in the past few months. Mohammad, a Rohingya farmer who lost […]
Pakistan: Shrinking Space for Freedom of Speech
Pakistan: Shrinking Space for Freedom of Speech by Mehrooj Rai 1 November 2019“If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell Journalists and media persons today are going through one of the most difficult times in the history of Pakistan. The space […]
‘Democracy problems in Bangladesh turn difficult’
State Department Correspondent The democracy and human rights problems in Bangladesh have gotten progressively more difficult, said ambassador Michael Kozak of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Ambassador Kozak came up with the comment in a press briefing organized by Foreign Press Centre of the US Department of State in reply […]
US concerned over certain provisions of Digital Security Act
M Mushfiqul Fazal from Washington DC The United States encouraged Bangladesh to redouble efforts on protection of human rights and combating trafficking in persons and raised concerns over certain provisions of the Digital Security Act. The country expressed the concern in the seventh US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue, co-chaired by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and […]
It is obvious that the elections were not perfect: UN Secretary General
M Mushfiqul Fazal from UN The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “it is obvious that the elections were not perfect”. The UN Chief Came up with the remark in response to a query regarding his observations on the general elections in Bangladesh during a press conference held at UN headquarters in New York yesterday. He […]
International groups move UN to protect..
International groups move UN to protect freedom of expression in Bangladesh A number of international groups working on press freedom and freedom of expression today urged urgent and concrete steps by the United Nations (UN) to reverse the deteriorating climate for free expression in Bangladesh. The groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) made a joint submission […]
Why credible election is a must for Bangladesh
On February 8; Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was sent to jail being convicted in a graft case. The Dhaka court has awarded the 73-year-old BNP party Chairperson a 5-year imprisonment for a mishandling of $250,000 of an orphanage Trust. The country’s incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sounds presumptuously victorious asking ‘where is she (Khaleda) […]
Bangladesh’s Awami League-led government doubled down on an authoritarian crackdown: HRW
Bangladesh’s Awami League-led government doubled down on an authoritarian crackdown on free speech, arresting critics, and censoring media. Arrests under the abusive Digital Security Act (DSA) increased dramatically. Impunity for abuses by security forces, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, remained pervasive. Host to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees from neighboring Myanmar, Bangladesh kept its […]
