Seven global and regional human rights bodies have expressed concern over the state of media freedom in Bangladesh and urged the United Nations Human Rights chief to engage Bangladesh authorities to protect and respect freedom of expression, The Daily Star reported.

"We write to draw your attention to the escalating human rights violations perpetrated by the Government of Bangladesh, exemplified in part by the increasing crackdown on press freedom and the freedom of expression of journalists, activists and dissidents," they said in a letter to the United Nations Human Rights chief.

The rights bodies, that wrote to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in Geneva, include Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Network for Free Elections, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Robert F Kennedy Human Rights.

Seven years ago, UN special mandates communicated with the Bangladesh government to bring attention to "the arrest of journalists and the adoption of disproportional punitive measures disrupting the activities of newspapers and televisions," the letter said.

"However, since retaining power in December 2018, the ruling Awami League has taken an even tougher line with the media. With widespread repression of the media and the harassment of editors who publish reports critical of the government, journalists have taken to self-censoring at unprecedented levels given the risks of imprisonment or closure of media outlets," it said.

Journalists have been subjected to violence by party activists, arrested arbitrarily, and news sites have been blocked. The Bangladesh government is reportedly targeting websites and YouTube channels of Bangladeshi dissidents abroad, the human rights bodies said.

In recent months, it said, many journalists have been targeted for their work, and those who expose government corruption or express dissent are particularly at risk. At least 17 journalists were injured covering protests over the visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2021.

Demonstrators and police officers hit journalists with rifle butts, sticks, iron rods, stones, and bricks, and journalists were shot with rubber bullets resulting in various injuries including bruises, swelling, bleeding, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, and a cracked skull.

In 2020, at least 247 journalists were reportedly subjected to attacks, harassment, and intimidation by state officials and others affiliated with the government.

Authorities continue to use the Digital Security Act (DSA) to harass and indefinitely detain journalists, activists, and others critical of the government, resulting in a chilling effect on any expression of dissent, the letter mentioned.

"This overbroad cybercrime law, passed in 2018, effectively stifles journalism by criminalising peaceful speech at the discretion of the government," it further said.

(SAM)