Expressing deep concern, the Editors' Council on Tuesday said the press freedom in the country was still under attack from certain sectors of society despite the interim government's repeated promises to uphold it.
Some of the country's leading print-media offices faced threats of assault and siege, according to a press release issued by the council's President Mahfuz Anam and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud.
Newspapers like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star had requested protection from law enforcement agencies, the release said, noting that security agencies had promptly responded to the call.
"One of the major promises of the new Bangladesh arising from the August 5 popular uprising was to ensure press freedom. This has been repeatedly affirmed by various quarters of the interim government," said the release.
The Editors' Council emphasised that if anyone objected to any news or editorial stance of a newspaper, they could express their views through intellectual discourse and writing.
"Attempting to silence the media through threats is merely a repetition of past anti-democratic practices," the release read.
The council strongly condemned attempts to disrupt the environment for independent journalism and urged the government to take a firm stance and suppress mob justice across all institutions, including the media.
It also called on all parties to refrain from actions that infringe upon press freedom. The call was made during a meeting of the Editors' Council at The Daily Star office on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Manab Zamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Ajker Patrika Editor Golam Rahman, Financial Express Editor Shamsul Haque Zahid, Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Ittefaq Editor Tasmima Hossain, Banik Barta Editor and Publisher Dewan Hanif Mahmud, Sangbad Editor Altamash Kabir, Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, Desh Rupantor Editor Mostafa Mamun, and Sangbad Executive Editor Shahriar Karim.
