Total media control a weapon to establish fascism: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the total control of the media is one of the weapons that fascism has been using to rule the country for a decade and a half.

"Over the past fifteen years, they (Awami League) have been controlling the media to conceal their misdeeds including the infringement of people's fundamental constitutional rights," he said at a seminar titled "Media in Bangladesh: One and half decades of nightmare" on Monday.

At the seminar, organised by the BNP at a city hotel, Fakhrul said, "To perpetuate power, their goal is to establish a regime like Bakshal. That is why they have changed the entire constitution, controlled the parliament, the electoral system and the administration."

"There is no media freedom here. We are seeing many media houses, but they cannot do their jobs," he added.

The BNP leader said, "Major corporations possess newspapers and TV channels, enabling them to profit from both their business ventures and government privileges. The media has now fostered a corporate environment that shelters individuals involved in bank money laundering."

"When one media is propagating against another media, it is one businessman propagating against another businessman. They are all involved in fascism," he said.

Mentioning that free media is not possible without democracy, he said, "The foremost necessity is to unite people. The international community is saying that there is no democracy in Bangladesh. Therefore, people must march on the path of unity, with courage, for the rights of democracy."

Referring to Khaleda Zia's health condition, Mirza Fakhrul said, "The government is not granting permission for her to seek treatment abroad."

As the keynote presenter, former secretary and advisor of BNP Chairperson Md Ismail Zabihullah said, "In the 2023 free media index by Reporters without Borders, Bangladesh ranks 163 out of 180 countries, the lowest in South Asia."

He noted that during the 14-year Awami League governance, the country's free media index has plummeted by 42 positions.

M Abdullah, president of the Bangladesh Federal Journalist' Association, said, "Around 55 journalists have been killed in the last 15 years."

During the event, the BNP unveiled a booklet on media control, outlining various responses to repression.

Speaking at the event, BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said, "The BNP is actively defending democracy, and media professionals should also step forward to safeguard their rights."

Among others, Abdul Moyeen Khan, standing committee member of the party, and Dhaka University professors Mahbub Ullah, and Shahiduzzaman also spoke at the seminar. BNP leader Shama Obaed was the moderator at the event.

Journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol, who was jailed under the DSA and the daughter of the slain journalist Golam Rabbani from Jamalpur also spoke at the event.