Media Destroyed Under 15 Years of Fascism : Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the country’s media sector has been systematically destroyed during the “fascist rule” of the past 15 years. He alleged that Sheikh Hasina has curtailed freedom of expression and obstructed the natural growth of the media.

Speaking at the BFUJ biennial council at the National Press Club on Friday, he said the entire nation now wants to return to democracy through elections. In a democratic system, multiple viewpoints and disagreements coexist, but at present, there is no environment to tolerate dissent, he observed.

Fakhrul said BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is ill and undergoing treatment in the CCU. He sought prayers from everyone for her recovery.

He said journalists have a responsibility to uphold truth and fearless reporting. Any form of partisan loyalty, he warned, only harms journalism. He further said irresponsible behaviour on social media is creating new crises, where anarchy is being spread in the name of personal expression—hindering the progress of democracy.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, BFUJ acting president Obaidur Rahman Shaheen, and secretary general Kader Gani Chowdhury were also present at the event.