State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam on Thursday said statements from foreign missions on harassment of and attacks on journalists in Bangladesh will not affect the country's image.
“The majority of nations in the world have not come close to matching Bangladesh's accomplishments over the past 14 years, led by Sheikh Hasina, both economically and in terms of accountability,” said the state minister while responding to questions from journalists after a Unesco event.
Regarding the statement of 12 foreign missions in Dhaka, the state minister said: "I have not seen the statement yet. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will look into its technical aspects, and the Ministry of Home Affairs will look into the legal matter.”
Stating that every nation faces challenges when it comes to running a state, the state minister said there are laws in those countries that made the statement that if anyone stands on the road and tries to establish a claim by blocking traffic, they will get a seven-year jail term.
“Even in those countries, people are taking to the streets to amend the law,” he said.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take Bangladesh forward in the right direction with a firm hand. These comments, statements and internal interferences never stood in the way of the development of Bangladesh, and they never will,” the state minister added.
Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) in Bangladesh expressed its concern about recent reports of violence against and intimidation of journalists. A total of 12 countries signed the statement.
Their concerns include violence directed at reporters covering the Supreme Court elections, an assault on the brother of a London-based journalist for Al Jazeera, the attack on a Dhaka Tribune photojournalist, and the recently reported detention of a Prothom Alo journalist.
“We urge the authorities to investigate each of these instances promptly and impartially,” the statement by MFC issued on Thursday reads.
The signatories in the statement are Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.