United News of Bangladesh

ARTICLE 19 has expressed concern over the interim government's ‘abrupt release’ of draft ordinances to establish a National Media Commission and a Broadcasting Commission, allowing only three days for public feedback. This last-minute initiative, taken at the end of the interim government’s tenure, lacks transparency and due process and risks undermining freedom of expression in Bangladesh, it says in a statement. ARTICLE 19, an international human rights organisation headquartered in London, called on the government of Bangladesh to stop the enactment of the draft ordinances and defer all decisions to the next elected government. With Bangladesh set to form a new elected government after the 12 February national election, ARTICLE 19 urged the interim government to immediately halt the enactment process and leave such far-reaching decisions to the incoming administration with a fresh democratic mandate. ARTICLE 19 promotes the freedom of expression movement, locally and globally, to ensure all people realise the power of their voices. It sought a transparent, inclusive consultation process with journalists, editors, civil society and legal experts. ARTICLE 19 called on the government of Bangladesh to guarantee that any future media regulator is fully independent and free from executive control. It demanded to recognise freelance journalists under relevant laws and ensure equal protections, align all reforms with international human rights standards, including Article 19 of the ICCPR and ensure the safety and free movement of all journalists during the election period. ARTICLE 19 said it stands with Bangladesh’s media community and urges the government to uphold transparency, independence, and human rights in all media-related reforms. The draft National Media Commission Ordinance aims to establish a National Media Commission that, in all respects - its structure and status, responsibilities of commissioners, as well as its administrative and financial framework - would be kept under direct government control, heavily influenced by bureaucratic authority, said the organisation. Such a design leaves the body exposed to political interference and falls far short of international human rights standards, including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which requires media regulators to be independent, impartial, and free from executive control, it said. “Beyond issues of structural independence, the ordinance contains additional shortcomings,” it said. Notably, it excludes freelance journalists from the definition of ‘journalist’, thereby depriving a substantial segment of the media community of access to legal protections, accreditation, and safety measures, said ARTICLE 19, mentioning that such exclusion risks further undermining an already fragile media landscape. The proposed Broadcasting Commission Ordinance mirrors these shortcomings, centralising state control rather than safeguarding pluralism or public-interest journalism. Govt approves proposal to provide education in Rohingya camps through UNICEF ARTICLE 19 is particularly concerned that these rushed ordinances come nearly a year after the Bangladesh Media Reform Commission, which included recommendations for a National Media Commission, submitted its report on 22 March 2025. The interim government took no meaningful action on these recommendations, and members of the Reform Commission have publicly expressed frustration, it said. ARTICLE 19 said the government’s sudden urgency after months of inaction raises serious questions about motive and legitimacy.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Saturday described the draft National Media Commission and Broadcasting Commission Ordinances as a ‘parting mockery’ of public expectations for free media development. The TIB said the demand for a unified, independent and effective media commission to ensure the development of free media and independent broadcasting in Bangladesh has existed for a long time, a demand that was also reflected in the report of the Media Reform Commission. It, however, said the interim government remained entirely indifferent to implementing its recommendations despite more than ten months having passed since the submission of that report. Instead, at the very final stage of its tenure, the interim government has published two draft ordinances - titled the ‘National Media Commission Ordinance and the Broadcasting Commission Ordinance’ - aimed at establishing two new government bodies. The TIB expressed deep disappointment and frustration over this move, noting that TIB believes that the preparation of these two drafts - contrary to public expectations and the recommendations of the Media Reform Commission, with the apparent objective of imposing greater control over the media sector - and seeking public opinions within only three days, constitutes a parting mockery by the interim government. At the same time, TIB identifies this move as yet another example of the interim government’s continuous practice of secrecy across nearly all areas from the outset, as well as the reform-opposing, obstructive actions carried out by certain sections of the government under the guise of state reform. In a statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “In both cases, the proposed structure and status of the commissions, the rank and authority of the commissioners, and the administrative and financial arrangements are designed to establish two institutions that are entirely under government control, particularly under bureaucratic authority. This represents a mockery of the interim government’s commitment to the development of free media and independent broadcasting.” While this is disappointing, he said, they are not at all surprised, as during the tenure of the interim government its failure to curb state and non-state control over the media, acts of violence, and attempts to impose authority, and in many cases its direct and indirect role as an instigator, have been evident. At the final stage of its tenure, Zaman said, these two proposed drafts reflect the same adversarial stance by the government toward expectations of media freedom. Referring to the numerous limitations of the existing Press Council and the absence of any comparable institutional framework for the broadcast media, Dr Zaman noted that the Media Reform Commission, based on research and consultations with relevant stakeholders, recommended the establishment of a unified, independent Media Commission free from government control. However, he said, the government has shown not the slightest consideration for this recommendation. Instead of pursuing the short-sighted initiative of establishing two new regulatory government bodies for the interrelated media and broadcasting sectors, Dr Zaman proposed the formation of a single, unified, and independent media commission operating outside government authority. TIB called on the government not to hastily promulgate the two draft ordinances. At the same time, the Executive Director of TIB has urged and expressed expectations toward the political parties participating in the upcoming election, many of whom have themselves been victims of control over free media and independent broadcasting in Bangladesh and have made strong commitments in their respective election manifestos and campaigns, that, following the formation of the new parliament, they will immediately proceed through a participatory process. Respecting their own experiences, commitments and public expectations, they should establish a genuinely independent and impartial unified media commission, TIB said. Such a commission would be capable of ensuring the highest professional standards and creating an enabling environment for the development of free media and independent broadcasting in the country, he said.