(Media Watch/IFEX) – The Bangladeshi Home Ministry has ordered law enforcement agencies to ensure the full protection of professional journalists by all means possible. **Updates IFEX alert of 11 February 1999** A letter from the ministry, issued to all the heads of law enforcement agencies on 13 February, said: “please ensure the safety and protection, […]
(Media Watch/IFEX) – The Bangladeshi Home Ministry has ordered law
enforcement agencies to ensure the full protection of professional
journalists by all means possible.
**Updates IFEX alert of 11 February 1999**
A letter from the ministry, issued to all the heads of law enforcement
agencies on 13 February, said: “please ensure the safety and protection,
extend the highest co-operation, and ensure that nobody should obstruct
newsmen from performing their professional duties smoothly.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Parisad (BSP), the organisation of
newspaper owners in Bangladesh, expressed its concern about the
political instability of the country. After an extended meeting on 13
February, it issued a statement stating that: “in recent days,
journalists and newspapers became the prime targets of political
activists during political programmes, such as general strikes. The
activists not only hit the journalists, but also obstructed the hawkers
and agents of newspapers, to prevent them from distributing the
newspapers. These sorts of activities not only threaten personal and
institutional security, but also disrupt the economic condition
of the media.”