DHAKA, Nov 7: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voiced serious concerns over the Bangladesh interim government’s recent decision to revoke the press accreditation of 30 journalists. This follows the earlier revocation of 20 accreditations on October 29. The CPJ, a global organization dedicated to safeguarding journalists’ rights, issued its statement through its Asia branch on Tuesday, condemning the move by the government led by Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus.
According to CPJ Asia’s statement, the scrapping of accreditations appears to target journalists believed to be supportive of the opposition Awami League party. The CPJ strongly condemned the action, warning that using press accreditation as a means to silence journalists would increase media censorship and undermine press freedom in the country.
Among the 30 journalists affected, notable names include Rahul Raha, Imdadul Haq Milon, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, and Ahmed Zobayer. The CPJ emphasized that such measures represent a dangerous precedent and called on the interim government to cease using accreditation as a weapon to intimidate or punish journalists for their work. The international organization had also previously raised concerns regarding the revocation of the 20 journalists’ accreditations.
