On the occasion of Black Day for the Newspapers on June 16, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former Member of Parliament Professor Mia Golam Porwar issued a statement on June 15.
In the statement, he said: "On February 24, 1975, the then government formed BAKSAL (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League) with the aim of establishing one-party rule in the country, thereby exiling democracy from Bangladesh. As part of that agenda, on June 16, 1975, the BAKSAL regime cancelled the publication of all newspapers except four—namely Dainik Bangla, Bangladesh Times, Ittefaq, and The Bangladesh Observer—which were kept under state control.
Through this initiative, the then authority snatched away the freedom of the press and people's right to express their opinions. As a result, thousands of journalists, employees, and media professionals lost their jobs. Burdened with the curse of unemployment, these individuals were pushed toward starvation and death, along with their families. This day remains marked in the history of Bangladesh as a dark day for the press and freedom of speech."
He further stated:"Similarly, under the leadership of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League government, immediately after coming to power in 2009, continued its oppression and suppression of the press and media. During the 15 years of the fascist Hasina regime, it unjustly shut down several media outlets and publications, including Daily Amar Desh, Channel One, Diganta Television, CSB TV, Islamic TV, and many online news portals. As a result, thousands of journalists, media workers, and technicians were left unemployed and forced to live in extremely inhumane conditions."
"To silence journalists, the fascist Hasina government enacted a black law in October 2018 known as the Digital Security Act. Since the law was repressive in nature, the government faced strong pressure from various international human rights organizations and local and foreign press bodies. As a superficial response, in 2023, the government made minor changes to a few sections of the old law and rebranded it as the 'Cyber Security Act 2023,' thereby creating yet another black law."
He further said that the fallen autocratic government used the Cyber Security Act as a weapon to subdue the voice of the media. Under this repressive black law, many journalists and free thinkers were harassed and unjustly imprisoned for years without any charges. Despite protests against this draconian law by all political parties, intellectuals, and the journalist community, the government paid no heed. In essence, this new black law was enacted to silence the pens of journalists.
The current interim government has repealed most of the provisions of this law but retained nine sections. It has also granted permission to resume operations of the Daily Amar Desh newspaper, Diganta TV, Channel One, CSB, and Islamic TV.
He said that in the modern world, the press is considered the fourth pillar of the state. The people of the country expect those involved in the media to play a constructive and responsible role in safeguarding democracy. They should speak the truth—and raise public awareness in the interest of the country’s development, progress, independence, and sovereignty.
He added:"If the people vote and give Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami the opportunity to form the government, the party will, InshaAllah, work to protect freedom of speech, enhance the quality of journalism, and safeguard the interests of journalists."
