Legal moves thwarted in Bangladesh as journalists kept in detention
Despite mounting pressure at home and abroad, the many journalists picked up by the authorities in Bangladesh as long ago as last August remain firmly in detention. The latest attempt to gain freeedom for two of the more prominent detainees – husband and wife team Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed of the Ekattor TV channel – was […]
A milestone for free speech: Commonwealth adopts our Media Principles on Freedom of Expression
The Commonwealth Heads of Government adopted the Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good Governance at their summit in Apia, Samoa, a milestone in the long campaign by the CJA and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) for free media and the protection of journalists. These Principles highlight the importance […]
Crisis point for media freedom in Bangladesh
Picture shows Shyamal Datta, Muzammil Babu, Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed. In an impassioned appeal to the CJA, Shushama Shashi, daughter of the detained Bangladeshi journalist Shyamal Dutta, has called for help from all international media organisations and human rights bodies to campaign for the release of detained journalists in the country. It’s estimated that charges have […]
Picture shows Shyamal Datta, Muzammil Babu, Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed. There’s mounting condemnation of the Bangladeshi authorities over oppression of the media, in the political crisis following the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August. Media and civil rights campaigners at home and abroad have called on the interim administration of Mohammad Yunus to protect journalists, […]
Respect media freedom – our urgent message to the new regime in Bangladesh
Picture shows an earlier demonstration for media freedom, before the departure of Sheikh Hasina. Oppressive treatment of the media in Bangladesh under the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was a measure of how low respect for the concept of free speech had fallen. International rights organisations have reported how arrests, abuse and disappearances at the […]
A milestone for free speech: Commonwealth adopts our Media Freedom Principles
Heads of government at the summit in Samoa have adopted the Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good governance, a landmark in the CJA’s long campaign for free media and the protection of journalists within the Commonwealth. The leaders’ statement at the end of the summit urged member […]
.
The Indian general election is promoted as the biggest demonstration of mass-participation democracy in the world. Nearly a billion people are eligible to vote in a process lasting six weeks. The big Issues of development, the economy, corrruption, unemployment are well ventilated. But as the spectacle of the Indian election unfolds, it also provides an […]
From self-censorship to documenting repression – media’s role in the toppling of Sheikh Hasina
Picture shows protesters shouting slogans as they vandalise a mural of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. On 4 August thousands of protesters gathered in Dhaka, obstructing traffic as a form of civil disobedience to demand the resignation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At least 100 people were killed. Protestors had initially taken to the streets to oppose quotas […]
Recognition for pioneering women journalists in India
The Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) Media Trust’s Astor Award – one of the most prestigious and oldest press media freedom awards in the world – has been presented to the ground-breaking Indian publication, Khabar Lahariya. The Award is made to honour their contribution to media freedom and investigative journalism, and their commitment to diversity and […]
Outrage amid the grief as another journalist is killed in Bangladesh
Picture shows the burial of Golam Rabbani Nadim, attended by thousands of mourners. The Bangladeshi journalistic community has expressed shock and outrage over the death of another of their colleagues in mysterious circumstances. Golam Rabbani Nadim, aged 42, pictured, was killed in an attack by several men armed with machetes and steel bars while travelling […]