Bangladesh Shuts Down Main Opposition Party Newspaper

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Facts

  • The Dainik Dinkal, a newspaper run by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for more than three decades, has been shut down after a government suspension originally ordered on Dec. 26 was upheld by the country's Press Council.1
  • The government has accused the Bengali-language broadsheet — run by its main opposition — of violating printing and publication laws. The newspaper often contains news not covered by mainstream media, such as the allegedly unjustified arrests of and use of intimidation tactics against BNP members by the government.2
  • The newspaper employs hundreds of journalists and press workers. Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, the managing director, told French newspaper AFP that their appeal was rejected on Sunday.3
  • According to AFP, the order of suspension described Tarique Rahman — cited as the acting chief of BNP — as a 'convicted criminal.' While Biswas has stated that Rahman resigned upon leaving Bangladesh for London — where he currently resides — this has not been accepted by state officials.4
  • Campaigners and foreign governments, including the US, have expressed fears surrounding media freedom in the country. The 2022 World Press Freedom Index ranked Bangladesh 162nd globally, worse than Russia (155th) and Afghanistan (156th). The country's government has not commented on the matter.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Dw.com, 3Guardian, 4Abplive and 5The economic times.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The daily star. Freedom of thought is a fundamental human right, but oppressive laws are being used by Bangladesh's government to crack down on dissenting voices and impose blindly hegemonic support for those already in power. Teachers, thinkers, and scholars must continue to encourage discourse in Bangladesh and lead by example in the continued fight to maintain freedom of thought and speech in their nation.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The daily observer. The BNP have previously harbored the intent to stage violent protests against the government, and aim to undermine the security and order of society by fostering chaos in Bangladesh. While the government works to protect the security of the people, the BNP continues to resort to more extreme measures, as it faces desperate attempts at political survival in the next election.

Predictions