Statement from CJA to Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Commonwealth News Media
March 2, 2026 The Commonwealth Journalists Association welcomes the relatively free elections held in Bangladesh on 12 February and the commitment made by the incoming Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to return Bangladesh to the rule of law. We call on Prime Minister Rahman and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government to immediately free dozens of journalists […]
After a long career at the heart of Bangladeshi journalism, I condemn the new reality: A licence to terrorise the Press
By ASHEQUN NABI CHOWDHURY, journalist and former diplomat. 26/01/26 In the thirty‑five years I spent in the trenches of Bangladeshi journalism – 1983 to 2018 – I believed I had witnessed every possible face of repression. I endured the refined but unmistakable intimidations of the Ershad military regime, survived the partisan purges that swept through […]
Applications invited for renowned Ingram Press Fellowship
Picture shows the 2025 Ingram Fellowship winners, Kaisar Ul Haq Andrabi, 2nd left,and Msani Kimani, next to him, with members of the Wolfson programme. Wolfson College, Cambridge, is now inviting applications to join the Derek Ingram Press Fellowship programme, which enables journalists to investigate a subject of their own choosing for ten weeks under light-touch […]
Reparations for slavery: Our CJA Lecture delves into the moral and economic dues
Picture shows Martin Plaut, Dr Alan Lester, CJA President Emeritus Rita Payne, UK Chair Raymond Whitaker, media freedom campaigner Lord Black. 25/11/25 One of the most contentious issues in international relations, especially for the Commonwealth, was dissected in gripping detail at the CJA annual lecture: Reparations for Slavery. The lecture, at the Palace of Westminster […]
Respect media freedom, Bangladesh warned over fraught election
8/2/26 The International Press Institute has urged political parties, the interim government, and election officials to demonstrate their commitment to press freedom by ensuring journalists are able to do their jobs freely and safely in the Bangladesh general election (due on February 12). “We emphasise the critical role that a free media play in ensuring […]
CJA backs global demand for safe and unhindered reporting from Gaza
4/8/25 In a global demonstration of professional unity, over 100 well-known journalists and leading press freedom NGOs have issued a demand for immediate, unhindered foreign press access to the Gaza Strip, and respect for journalists’ protected status under international law to report from inside Gaza. Christiane Amanpour, Lindsey Hilsum, Mehdi Hassan and war photographer Don McCullin are […]
Yunus defiant over purge of media freedoms
By WILLIAM HORSLEY, Executive Committee member of the Commonwealth Journalists Association and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. June 20, 2025 Last week London provided an international stage for the Chief Advisor to the Bangladesh government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, to present a positive account of his efforts to unite […]
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09/07/25 In an unprecedented call for action, Bangladeshi journalists around the world have joined forces to call for an end to the oppression of the media and respect for freedom of speech in their home country. Their appeal was signed by 88 expatriate journalists, writers, teachers, researchers and cultural and rights activists, and co-ordinated in […]
Bangladesh denies media suppression, citing “deeply complex political transition”
This report by CJA Executive Committee member WILLIAM HORSLEY prompted a swift response from the Bangladeshi government, who claimed that concerns about media suppression and arbitrary detentions in the country were being taken seriously, and that the allegation that the government was repeating the autocratic practices of the past was wrong. “Unlike in the past, […]
Bangladeshi journalism threatened “from all directions”
Picture shows recent news conference in Dhaka Independent journalism, while being a cornerstone of democracy, is currently facing multidimensional challenges in Bangladesh, said Kader Gani Chowdhury, pictured, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists. He was speaking at a conference organised with support from UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund at Dhaka Reporters Unity. […]