I have always loved Bangladesh. Ever since I was there for the first time, in 2004. At the time I worked as an intern for the Daily Star, the leading English newspaper of the country.
I had never been to that part of the world before. Everything was so different from where I came from. I loved the noise in the streets, the smell of food, the fires on the side of the streets when night fell, I admired the people, hardworking, day and night. And I have never forgotten their kindness, their smile, when I was lost in the streets of Dhaka, and they had to help me out. Which they always did.
And because I had fallen in love with Bangladesh I came back, again and again, over the last 20 years. I was there when the catastrophe of Rana Plaza hit. I collected money in my home country for the victims. I came regularly to visit my journalist friends, to inhale the warm hospitality, to dive into the lush green fields and rolling hills, to discover the wilderness of the Sundarbans. I watched the progress Bangladesh made. Upon one visit I wrote this piece about the beauty of Dhaka -- if only one tries to see it. I have tried to be a true friend to Bangladesh over all these years.
That is why it was good news to me when Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was chosen at the beginning of August to lead the interim government of Bangladesh. I admire Muhammad Yunus for his lifelong fight against poverty, interviewed him twice over my career, defended him in my part of the world when he was criticized at home.
But then my blood froze, when soon after Muhammad Yunus’ appointment I became aware that murder cases had been filed against dozens of journalists, and that some of my dearest journalist friends had even been thrown into prison, unlawfully accused of murder, unjustly called “fascists.”
The accusations are all nonsense, of course. The truth is much more: Journalists in Bangladesh always had to walk a tightrope in the last 50 years. Because there was always danger from one side or another. But walking a tightrope doesn’t turn journalists into “fascists,”and it never ever justifies throwing them into jail and calling them “murderers” – like it has been done with my friends Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed, among many others.
Unfortunately, journalists have always made good scapegoats in history. It is much easier to blame the killing of students who died in the demonstrations on innocent journalists, instead of the police, who shot them.
The free media is a pillar of any true democracy. That is why we journalists are called the fourth force of a democracy
As of today, more than 100 journalists have been charged with instigating murder for killings that occurred between the beginning of July and mid-August, even though the Bangladeshi constitution guarantees the freedom of the press in Article 39.
And I ask myself: Is the Bangladeshi constitution not worth the paper it has been written on? And how is it possible that these actions are happening under Muhammad Yunus’ leadership? Why doesn’t a Nobel Peace Prize winner protect the freedom of the press, protect free speech, protect my journalist friends?
And I am also confused: Didn’t the students who brought about the change promise to turn a page? And if so: Why are they then making the same mistakes as their predecessors, using journalists as scapegoats for actions they have nothing to do with? Intimidate them, beat them up, put them behind bars?
If Bangladesh truly wants to open a new chapter, wants to be recognized as a modern democracy, then the country has to act like one: Which means, first and foremost, protecting basic human rights, protecting the freedom of the press, guaranteeing free speech, and most importantly, making everybody feel safe in the country -- not just those in power right now.
And because I still believe in Bangladesh, still want to be able to love it as I have done over so many years, I urge the dropping of all filed cases against journalists and the freeing of those who are imprisoned for no reason other than being journalists. Journalists need protection so they can work in safety again.
Because the free media is a pillar of any true democracy. That is why we journalists are called the fourth force of a democracy. If Bangladesh is afraid of this fourth force and throws journalists in jail -- just because they are journalists – it is not a democracy and never will be.
Bangladesh needs to prove to the world that it is indeed turning a page in its history. If it succeeds, it will gain reputation and respect, followed by investments from companies and governments around the world.
Charlotte Jacquemart is Senior Business Editor for Swiss Public Radio, Switzerland.