AL ban covers publicity across traditional and social media: State Minister.
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury has said the ban on the Awami League (AL) and its all affiliates covers their publicity and promotional activities across traditional, online, and social media.
“A notification issued on May 12, 2025, prohibited all activities of the AL and its affiliated, associate and fraternal organisations, including publications and promotional campaigns through media platforms. The media should take the matter into consideration,” he said.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with a delegation of the Broadcast Journalists Centre (BJC) at Information and Broadcasting Ministry in Secretariat today, Yasser said
On recent arson incidents, the state minister accused those responsible of pursuing a politics of destruction, saying allegations of arson, enforced disappearances and killings had been associated with them since their inception.
He said some individuals occasionally gathered under cover of darkness to chant slogans or set fire to vehicles and buses before fleeing.
Law enforcement agencies remained vigilant, he added, noting that several people linked to such incidents had already been arrested and steps were underway to bring those involved in terrorist activities to justice.
Yasser also said Sheikh Hasina, whom he accused of masterminding arson-related violence, would be brought back to Bangladesh to face trial.
He claimed that the people wanted to see her tried.
The meeting also addressed the financial pressures and professional challenges facing broadcast journalists, including television channels' declining revenue, journalists' salaries and benefits, professional freedom and the modernisation of the broadcasting sector.
Yasser said the BNP government believed in media freedom and wanted journalism to be responsible and objective, ensuring that the public received accurate information.
He said as per the prime minister's instructions, there would be no attempt to control or interfere with the print and electronic media outlets.
The BJC delegation presented proposals to increase television channels' revenue, strengthen digital platforms and revise existing policies.
The ministry will review the proposals after receiving the delegation's demands in writing, the state minister said.
A key issue discussed at the meeting was a proposal to allocate part of the subscription revenue collected from cable television subscribers to television channels.
The delegation members said most television channels remained heavily dependent on advertising revenue, while prevailing advertising rates were insufficient to cover operating costs and ensure the regular payment of journalists' salaries and allowances.
They argued that sharing subscription revenue collected by cable operators with television channels was necessary to address the financial crisis.
The delegation cited the Media Reform Commission's recommendation for introducing such an interim arrangement until the completion of the digitalisation process.
The commission had developed its recommendations after consulting around 55 stakeholders.
The journalists urged the government to take steps to implement the commission's key recommendations.
The delegation also called for the establishment of a media commission modelled on the Bar Council to address the challenges facing newspapers, television channels and digital media outlets through a coordinated institutional framework.
It stressed the need to hold media owners accountable for ensuring journalists receive their salaries, benefits and professional entitlements on time.
Without adequate remuneration, allowances and workplace benefits, journalists would struggle to uphold professional standards and practise responsible journalism, the delegation said.
The BJC members expressed hope that the current environment of non-interference in the media would continue.
