Editors' Council condemns threats to press freedom

The Editors' Council has strongly condemned attempts to undermine press freedom and disrupt the practice of independent journalism.

In a meeting held yesterday (4 November) at The Daily Star office, the council urged the interim government to take strict action against "mob justice," including actions within media organisations, according to a statement issued today (5 November), signed by the council's President Mahfuz Anam and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud.

The council also requested that all parties involved refrain from activities that undermine press freedom.

Despite repeated assurances from the interim government and other relevant parties, the Editors' Council noted that attempts to undermine the freedom of the country's media continue from certain quarters of society.

"Recently, there have been incidents of threats, attacks, and sieges on the offices of several leading newspapers in the country," reads the statement. "The daily Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, among others, have appealed to law enforcement agencies for increased security at their headquarters."

The Editors' Council believed that if anyone has objections to the news or editorial policies of any newspaper, they should express their views through writing.

However, attempts to suppress the media through threats and intimidation are a repetition of the previous regime, the statement added.

Mahfuz Anam, also editor and publisher of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Ajker Potrika Editor Md Golam Rahman, Financial Express Editor Shamsul Huq Zahid, Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Ittefaq Editor Tasmima Hossain, Dewan Hanif Mahmud, also editor and publisher of the daily Bonik Barta, Sangbad Editor Altamash Kabir, Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, Desh Rupantor Editor Mustafa Mamun, and Sangbad's Executive Editor Shahriar Karim were present at the meeting.