The government has stifled freedom of expression and its various attempts to silence critical coverage has resulted in more restrictions on the media in recent years, the Amnesty International claims in a new report. Most media workers, interviewed by Amnesty, said media freedom was at its worst since Bangladesh returned to democracy in 1991, although the government insists that there was “enough freedom” for journalism in Bangladesh*. Olof Blomqvist, Amnesty International’s Bangladesh researcher, said the government treated journalism “as if it were a crime”. An international NGO worker, interviewed by Amnesty, said the pressure on freedom of expression was “much more institutionalised today than before”. “The authorities have more or less ‘managed’ the opposition, the only credible threat left now is from media and civil society.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 02, 2017 10:18 UTC