AL Govt Controls Media to Hide Misdeeds: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, asserts that the Awami League government has been subtly influencing the country's media for more than 15 years.

The government, according to Fakhrul, "commits wrongdoing, usurps the fundamental constitutional rights of people, and by controlling the media, it keeps these (misdeeds) hidden from public view."

He made the remarks at a presentation titled "Media in Bangladesh: One and a Half Decades of NIGHTMARE" in the Gulshan neighborhood of the city.

"In order to strengthen its grasp on power, the Awami League administration altered the constitution. It entirely controls the administration, the election process, and the parliament. The fact that "they control the media" is the most alarming, he continued.

He mentioned that there is no democracy in Bangladesh even 52 years after independence. "Today, the media has no freedom. ... they cannot work," he added.

"Democracy is not possible without independent media. If there is no media freedom, they cannot work," he added.

Fakhrul claimed that the international community is clearly saying there is no democracy in Bangladesh and no credible elections are held under the AL government.