Bangladesh bars media from publishing Hasina statements

DHAKA: Tarique Rahman’s government in Bangladesh has directed all print, electronic, online, and social media platforms to comply with court directives barring the broadcast or publication of statements by deposed former PM and “fugitive” Sheikh Hasina. Several media outlets in Bangladesh published and broadcast Hasina’s interview with news agency Reuters on Friday.The govt statement on Friday night cited the 2024 ban imposed by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on broadcasting statements made by Hasina.Additionally, other legal restrictions exist in Bangladesh on broadcasting statements, interviews, or audio-video speeches of a fugitive convict sentenced by a court.London-based prominent Bangladeshi journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan said Hasina’s statement in which she promised to return to Bangladesh reinforced the truth that she remains the country’s paramount leader.“The former prime minister’s security must be guaranteed by the nation when she returns to the country. She was the target of assassination in Chittagong in 1988 and in the grenade blasts in Dhaka in 2004,” Ahsan said.