The oath-taking program of the newly elected committe of the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation was held on Tuesday (April 23). There was a sudden attack on the journalist. About 20 journalists were injured. 4 are admitted to the hospital. BFUJ President Omar Farooq, Secretary General Dip Azad, newly elected president of DUJ Sajjad Alam Topu, Sohel Haider, Organizing Secretary Golam Mujtaba  Dhrubo Bachsas president Raju Alim and general secretary Rimon Mahfuz and many more were present in the human chain. The speakers in the first human chain demanded immediate justice in this incident. 

The government has approved Taka 2 crore and 3 lakh for distributing among journalists and their families from Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust (BJWT). State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today signed a document in this regard, said an official release. The amount will be distributed among a total of 263 journalists soon. Earlier, in the first phase of the current fiscal year, Taka 1 crore 89 lakh and 50 thousand was distributed among 236 journalists and their families. The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina established the BJWT in 2014 to provide financial support to poor, sick and insolvent journalists and their families.   The trust has so far distributed Taka 33.74 crore among 3,932 journalists and their families since 2015-2016 fiscal year. Source: BSS

The data, offering a global overview of journalists incarcerated for their work as of December 1, paints a concerning picture of press freedom in China, especially concerning its treatment of the majority-Muslim ethnic group. Arecent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has shed light on a troubling pattern in China, where nearly half of the journalists imprisoned in 2023 were identified as Uyghurs, Voice of America reported. As many as 44 journalists are in jail and about half of them are Uyghurs. This shows Beijing's poor press freedom record and its human rights abuses against the majority-Muslim ethnic group, report added. The data, offering a global overview of journalists incarcerated for their work as of December 1, paints a concerning picture of press freedom in China, especially concerning its treatment of the majority-Muslim ethnic group. Among the 19 Uyghurs held, critics of the Chinese government often face charges of separatism and terrorism, according to Voice of America. One prominent case highlighted in the report is that of academic and blogger Ilham Tohti, who marked a decade in custody this week. Arrested in January 2014, Tohti is serving a life sentence for alleged separatism. His case underscores the severe consequences faced by those critical of the Chinese government, with the court citing his interviews with foreign news outlets and his role as the founder of the Xinjiang news site Uighurbiz, which authorities shut down in 2014. "For the Chinese government, Uyghur journalists are a dangerous group of people. They don't want them to say anything. They [Beijing] try to crack down on Uyghur journalists, particularly because they want to shut the Uyghur voice off," remarked Zubayra Shamseden from the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) in Washington. Governments, including the US, have accused China of committing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The UN Human Rights Office has raised concerns about crimes against humanity being perpetrated against Uyghurs. The targeting of Uyghur reporters aligns with the broader persecution of Uyghur intellectuals and cultural figures in Xinjiang. A 2021 report by UHRP highlighted the detention of over 300 Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim intellectual and cultural elites in the region. The assault on intellectual and cultural figures is seen as a component of genocide, aiming to eradicate Uyghur cultural identity. The CPJ report also reveals a global trend of silencing critical voices through journalist arrests, with 320 journalists held worldwide. CPJ Chief Executive Jodie Ginsberg emphasized the inherent threat perceived by those in power when journalists hold them accountable. In China, three out of the five new cases in CPJ's 2023 database involved reporters accused of espionage, inciting separatism, or subverting state power. "Particularly in authoritarian regimes, we see this use of the law -- or misuse of the law -- to detain and silence journalists. And that's exactly what it's intended to do. It's intended to silence critical voices," noted Ginsberg. The persecution of Uyghur journalists extends beyond China's borders, with individuals, especially journalists and activists, experiencing harassment or intimidation, a phenomenon known as transnational repression. Beijing applies pressure to prevent Uyghurs from speaking out and disclosing information deemed unfavourable by the Chinese government. Responding to allegations of human rights abuses, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected claims that Beijing does not respect media freedom. "The Chinese government protects press freedom in accordance with law and gives full play to the role of media and citizens in supervising public opinion," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson asserted that the Chinese government protects press freedom in accordance with the law and accused some in the US of spreading disinformation by smearing and attacking China, Voice of America reported.  Source: ANI

Awami League chief PM Sheikh Hasina has pledged to make arrangements so that journalists do not face torture, intimidation or false cases, if her party is elected in the next general election on January 7.   “As per the newly enacted law, the Cyber Security Act, the privacy and information of individuals will be protected, and appropriate measures will continue to be taken to prevent misuse,” she said while announcing the party's election manifesto at a Dhaka hotel on Wednesday (Dec 27). She said financial and medical assistance to journalists will be further extended under the Journalist Welfare Trust, while the process of forming the 10th Wage Board for journalists is underway. Sheikh Hasina said her government has ensured the free flow of information and freedom of media. “In the 1996-2001 tenure, we were the first to open television and radio to the private sector,” she told. Mass media has developed tremendously in the last 15 years, and the number of newspapers in the country is now 3,241, while 33 private TV channels, 23 FM radio channels and 18 community radio stations are currently broadcasting, she added.  

A human chain organized by journalists at Karwan bazar roundabout on Friday in protest of a Digital Security Act (DSA) case filed against RTV journalist Yeasmein Akter Adhora for her report on "misdeed of a syndicate of Pirs". On May 13, One Shakerul Kabir filed the case in Chattogram court against the RTV reporter and another one. The incident revealed after Rafiqul Islam, the investigating officer of the case informed RTV On July 10. In that protest, the journalist leaders demanded the withdrawal of the case against Adhora. They also demanded the repeal of the Digital Security Act (DSA). The law is being used to harass journalists and suppress freedom of expression. They also urged to take action against the "pir syndicate" instead of harassing journalists for unearthing crimes. Leaders of Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association including Dhaka Journalists Union, Dhaka Reporters Unity, ACC Beat journalists' organization RACK participated in the hour-long protest. Sohel Haider Chowdhury, president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) expressed frustration and dissatisfaction over filing the case against journalists under DSA. He said, "We hope Yeasmein Akter Adhora's case will be withdrawn, or the home ministry will issue a statement declaring it null and void," he demanded. Akter Hossain, General Secretary of DUJ and News Editor of RTV, said, "After the case, now they are giving various threats and even death threats. Just as the young journalist tries to unmask the land grabbers, the Rajarbagh land grabbers come after him with a case against him." Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Morsalin Nomani, DRU former general secretary Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, Nurul Islam Hasib, Former Joint General Secretary Shahnaz Sharmin, Jamiul Ahsan Sipu, Reporters Against Corruption (RAC) General Secretary Jameson Mahbub, Former Executive Member of Dhaka Journalist Union Golam Mujtaba Dhrubo, Former President of Sub-Editors Council Nasima Akhter Soma, Publicity Secretary of Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association SM Faiz, former women affairs editor of Dhaka Reporter Unity Taapsee Rabeya Ankhi, former executive member Hasan Jabed, RTV assistant news editor Saikhul Islam Ujjal and others spoke in the programme. Journalist communities have long been demanding repeal of the law, saying it has been curbing the freedom of press and freedom of expression.

The French dailies Liberation and Le Monde said authorities did not give a reason for the expulsion. Relations between Paris and Ouagadougou have been strained since two military coups last year. Burkina Faso has expelled journalists working for the Le Monde and Liberation newspapers, the two French dailies said on Sunday. Le Monde Afrique correspondent Sophie Douce and Liberation correspondent Agnes Faivre were expelled from Burkina Faso on Saturday, according to the two newspapers, and arrived in Paris on Sunday morning. Le Monde said it "condemns in the strongest terms" the "arbitrary decision" to expel the journalists. Liberation said the deportations were "absolutely unjustified expulsions" and suggested they were linked to an investigation into abuse by the military. What else do we know about the expulsion of the two correspondents? The two newspapers reported that their correspondents were visited by a plainclothes security officer that told them they had 24 hours to leave the country. The officer did not provide any written documentation and no reason was given for the expulsion, Le Monde and Liberation said. According to Le Monde and Liberation, Faivre and Douce were separately interrogated by the same officer on Friday for over an hour each. They were asked about an article published by Liberation on March 27 that documented a video showing the apparent execution of a number of children and adolescents, according to the dailies. Liberation cited Burkina Faso social media reports as saying that the two journalists were accused of "infiltrating" the country, having been paid "large sums" to produce "false testimonies." Le Monde called the expulsion "inacceptable" and said it had marked a "further major setback for freedom of information" in Burkina Faso. Liberation said it "categorically" opposed the "ridiculous allegations" against its correspondent, and argued that the move was a "sign of weakness" on the part of the government in Ouagadougou. French media blocked On Monday, Burkina Faso authorities also blocked the France 24 broadcaster after it interviewed the head of al-Qaeda's local affiliate in North Africa and the Sahel. In December 2022, Burkina Faso also suspended Radio France Internationale, accusing it of airing a "message of intimidation" from a "terrorist chief." The radio station belongs to the same media group as France 24. France 24 and Radio France Internationale have also been suspended in neighboring Mali. Last year, Burkina Faso saw two military coups amid instability caused by an Islamist insurgency in the north of the country. Thousands have been killed by militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" group. According to Le Monde, members of both foreign and local press have been regularly summoned by the country's Communications Ministry over coverage of counter-insurgency efforts since the coups. Earlier this year, France withdrew troops from the country at Ouagadougou's request. French forces had been in Burkina Faso since 2018.

Musk suggested that the suspensions were due to Twitter's new policy, which bans accounts that track private jets. Media organizations are demanding further explanation. Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of several journalists who have been covering the company and Elon Musk's takeover of the company. The move comes a day after the social media platform changed its policies revolving around accounts which tracked private jets, including a jet owned by Musk. Journalist's whose accounts were suspended include New York Times reporter Ryan Mac, Washington Post reporter Drew Hall, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, Matt Binder of Mashable, The Intercept's Micah Lee and Steve Herman of Voice of America. The accounts of independent journalists like Aaron Rupar, Tony Webster and Keith Olbermann were also suspended. A social media company called Mastodon, known to be an alternative to Twitter, was also suspended from Twitter on Thursday. The platform has not officially explained why it took down the accounts. CNN: "Concerning but not surprising" A spokesperson for the New York Times said that the suspension is "questionable and unfortunate" and added that they hope "Twitter provides a satisfying explanation for this action." CNN in a statement said that "the impulsive and unjustified suspension" is concerning "but not surprising.'' "We have asked Twitter for an explanation, and we will reevaluate our relationship based on that response,'' read the statement. Sarah Reese Jones, a political analyst and news commentator with PoliticusUSA, said that "Nothing says free speech like suspending journalists who cover you." Some of the journalists who were suspended had been tweeting about the shutting down of an account named @Elonjet on Wednesday. The account had more than half a million followers. Elon Musk had vowed not to pull down @ElonJet The account named @Elonjet was owned by Jack Sweeney and used publicly available information to track the movement of Musk's jet. On Wednesday, Musk said that a car in Los Angeles carrying one of his children was followed by a "crazy stalker." He blamed Sweeney's account for the alleged incident. In a tweet, he said that legal action is now being taken against Sweeney. After the suspension, Sweeney tweeted from his personal account and said "Well it appears @ElonJet is suspended." Soon his personal account was also taken down. In January, Musk had offered 20-year-old Sweeney $5000 to shut down the account tracking his jet. Earlier in November,  shortly after the billionaire took over Twitter, he pledged to not touch the account even though it was a "direct personal safety risk." Twitter changes its media policy On Wednesday, Musk tweeted that "Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation." Doxxing refers to revealing someone's identifying information such as home address or phone number which makes them vulnerable to abuse. After suspending Sweeney's account Twitter updated its media policy. "You may not publish or post other people's private information without their express authorization and permission," it said. On Thursday morning Musk said that "same doxxing rules apply to "journalists” as to everyone else." In another tweet he said "criticizing me all day long is totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not."

More female journalists are behind bars in Iran than ever before. Among them are Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, both of whom have been accused of "conspiring against national security." For a long time, Niloofar Hamedi was a sports reporter. She loves soccer, her colleagues write on social media, posting photos of her at games. But for more than two months now, the 30-year-old reporter for Shargh — one of Iran's largest daily newspapers — has been locked up without charge. Hamedi's lawyer have said she's not allowed to contact anyone and that lies are being spread about Hamedi and her colleague, Elahe Mohammadi.  The two journalists were among the first to report on the death of Jina Masha Amini in September. Hamedi did so from the hospital where Amini was lying in coma before being officially declared dead on September 16. Hamedi was arrested four days later. Mohammadi worked for the Ham-Mihan newspaper. She traveled to Amini's hometown of Saqqez, in northwestern Iran's Kurdish region, to report on Amini's funeral, which sparked the first protests that would grow into Iran's current protest movement. Just two weeks later, she, too, was arrested. 'Trained in hybrid warfare tactics abroad' Hamedi and Mohammadi stand accused of having ties to foreign intelligence agencies, which, Iran's intelligence service and the Revolutionary Guard's security service claimed in a joint statement in late October, trained them. Hamedi was trained in hybrid warfare in the United Arab Emirates, Finland, Turkey and South Africa, said Ameneh Sadat Zabihpour, who works for Iranian state television and regularly conducts coerced "confession interviews" with political prisoners. Zabihpour was added to Washington's sanctions list in mid-November. On November 16, the US Treasury put six leading functionaries at Iranian state broadcaster IRIB on their latest official sanctions list for their role at that "influential instrument in the Iranian regime's campaign of repression and censorship against its own people." Supporters of the Islamic Republic eagerly accept and spread the disinformation that people like Ameneh Sadat Zabihpour give them. Like the claim of training in hybrid warfare, which implies no less than conducting warfare through a combination of classic military means, economic pressure, disinformation and manipulation. "False accusations spread online are dangerous and can later play a major role in court," human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari told DW. Nazar Ahari is a member of the Iranian Committee of Human Rights Reporters and has been repeatedly arrested, spending several of the past 17 years in jail as a result. She has lived in Slovenia since 2017. Speaking of the conditions that both prisoners find themselves in, the activist said, "Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are both in the high-security cellblock 209 at Tehran's Evin Prison. No one knows when they will be put before a judge. What we can see are channels with close ties to the regime spreading lies sold as fact. For instance, right now, private South African vacation photos are being circulated to manipulate public opinion. It isn't the first time that journalists have been accused of not being independent and of having foreign ties." Nazar Ahari said the campaign is aimed at faithful supporters of the regime rather than a broader audience less likely to believe state propaganda. No use trying to intimidate According to the organization Reporters Without Borders, at least 43 journalists have been arrested since mid-September. Eight have been released, and among the 35 still behind bars, 15 are women. Those women are not letting themselves be intimidated. Kurdish journalism student Nazila Maroufian, for instance, is from Amini's hometown of Saqqez. Maroufian interviewed Amini's father, who explained that his daughter did not have any preexisting health conditions that could have led to her death. The interview was published on October 19, under the title "They are lying," on the news site Mostaghel. Shortly thereafter, 23-year-old Maroufian wrote on Twitter: "I have no plans to kill myself and I have no preexisting medical conditions. I am happy to have conducted and published this interview." Maroufian was arrested on October 30.  The Iranian regime wants to systematically silence women, said Christian Mihr, executive director of Reporters Without Borders Germany. Mihr said there is great concern over the fate of those brave journalists. They were undertaking great risks, even accepting the possibility of execution, to bring to light the truth that the Iranian regime is so desperately trying to hide. Three of the journalists currently behind bars were already in jail before the latest wave of repressions. Iran has for decades been one of the worst countries on the planet for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders's World Press Freedom Index. Last year, the Islamic Republic of Iran ranked 178 of 180.

The UK says journalists there have received "credible" death threats from Tehran. The announcement came the same day Scottish authorities took a young Iranian wrestler into protection after she, too, was threatened. The United Kingdom (UK) on Friday summoned Iran's top diplomat in London over death threats leveled at exiled Iranian journalists living in the UK. "I have summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires today after journalists working in the UK were subject to immediate threats to life from Iran," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted, adding, "We do not tolerate threats and intimidation from foreign nations towards individuals living in the UK." Authorities did not elaborate on specific threats but on Monday London-based Volant Media, which operates the independent, Farsi-language channel Iran International TV, said two of its British-Iranian journalists had received "credible death threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." Like many news outlets, Iran International TV has been closely covering unrest in Iran in the wake of the mid-September death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini at the hands of Tehran's so-called Morality Police. Amini was arrested for a dress code infraction with authorities saying she was not wearing her hijab headscarf correctly. Volant Media says UK authorities have warned a number of journalists about threats, though Metropolitan Police in London have not commented on the situation. Young Iranian wrestler under threat from Tehran Scottish authorities on Friday announced they had also taken steps to protect 22-year-old female wrestler Melika Balali from Tehran's regime. Police Scotland confirmed the enactment of a "safety plan" to protect Balali, who is now based in and wrestles for Scotland. Balali, who flashed a sign reading, "stop forcing hijab" this June after winning gold for Scotland at the British Wrestling Championships, was defiant toward Tehran, telling BBC Scotland: "These threats make me stronger. When I receive threats from the government of Iran I just think my way is right — if I were wrong, why would they threaten me?" Tehran has accused outside powers of fomenting unrest in the Islamic Republic, warning the UK, for instance, that it would "pay" for its meddling. Tehran claims London is harboring anti-Iranian journalists, while the BBC says religious hardliners in Iran are threatening and intimidating members of the BBC's Persian Service. The Foreign Office has criticized Tehran for seeking to stifle dissent by suppressing freedom of expression and going after media outlets as protests show no sign of weakening, noting that more than 40 journalists have been arrested and detained so far.

The Iranian government has arrested dozens of journalists reporting on the widespread unrest triggered by the death of a young woman following her arrest by authorities. Iranian security forces have arrested at least 28 journalists and photographers since the latest wave of anti-regime protests began nearly two weeks ago, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported this week. The women-led demonstrations were sparked by outrage over the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the Islamic republic’s so-called morality police. Amini was arrested on September 13 for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict rules for women on wearing hijab, or headscarves, and modest clothing. The Iranian Journalists Association has repeatedly called for the immediate release of all reporters who have been detained for reporting on the protests. But the Iranian judiciary contends that press reporting on the protests could lead to further riots, and it should therefore be construed as a criminal offense. The journalists association has strongly rejected this argument and asserted that the journalists were merely going about their work. Are journalists safe in Iran? Those being detained include Niloufar Hamedi, a reporter for the reformist Shargh newspaper who was one of the first journalists to write about Amini’s case. She’s been kept in solitary confinement in the capital’s Evin Prison for the past week, according to her husband. Authorities on Thursday arrested reporter Elahe Mohammadi, who had covered Amini’s funeral, her lawyer said. The CPJ said Thursday that three additional journalists Farshid Ghorbanpour, Aria Jaffari and Mobin Balouch had also been arrested. Yalda Moaieri, a well-known photojournalist, is also among those detained. She is believed to be in the Gharchak prison for women on the outskirts of Tehran. We are not safe here and our situation is very bad, she is quoted as saying by the Iran News website. Reports from the country suggest that, apart from the arrests, many journalists have also been summoned or threatened by phone by security authorities. Iranian leadership’s biggest nightmare? The media in Iran is tightly controlled and monitored by authorities. Journalists are only allowed to work if they have official government approval and accreditation. Suppressing information is as important to the Iranian government as suppressing street protests, Behzad Ahmadinia, an Iranian journalist living in Cyprus and a member of the International Federation of Journalists, told DW. A free flow of information, for instance regarding corruption in Iran, is the biggest nightmare for the Iranian leadership, as it is for all undemocratic governments, he said. By eliminating reliable information sources, the Iranian government can publish news mixed with lies to counter solidarity in society and the growth of protests. Farzad Seifi Karan, an Iranian journalist living in the Netherlands and who is also a member of the International Federation of Journalists, shares a similar view, describing the current crackdown on Iranian journalists as an attempt to suppress international coverage of the anti-government protests. A pattern of distorting the truth When political unrest and major demonstrations erupt, the Iranian authorities arbitrarily arrest journalists, political activists and human rights defenders to silence any form of public dissent or reporting and criticism of the human rights violations they are committing, Mansoureh Mills, an Iran researcher at Amnesty International, told The Independent online newspaper. The Iranian authorities have a pattern of distorting the truth to cover up their human rights violations. Following the November 2019 protests, during which security forces killed hundreds of men, women and children, the authorities consistently denied any responsibility, she added. The Iranian government arrested and imprisoned at least 860 journalists in the three decades between the 1979 Islamic Revolution and 2009, and about 50 were executed, according to documents leaked to the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Iran ranks 178th of 180 states in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, above only Eritrea and North Korea.