“Between the violence of armed groups and state repression of the state, secular voices in Bangladesh are being consistently silenced,” said Amnesty’s Bangladesh researcher Olof Blomqvist. Activists receiving death threats have been forced to leave the country after authorities refused to protect them, according to the report. Amnesty claims the government is also involved in supressing public debate and criticism by harassing the media through a network of draconian laws and interference. The law has allowed the government to intimidate the media through threats and violence, Amnesty alleged. “The crackdown on dissent and secular thought in Bangladesh must end.

Source: bd News24 May 02, 2017 12:00 UTC