Journalists from various media outlets have been denied access to Bangladesh Bank to carry out their professional responsibilities for over a month.
According to media reports, the issuance of temporary passes to journalists has been stopped due to an unofficial directive from the higher authorities of the country's banking and financial sector regulatory body.
The Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (Noab) and the Editors' Council have strongly criticized this restriction on journalists, labeling it contradictory to the principles of independent journalism, democracy, and fundamental constitutional rights.
They demand that journalists have unrestricted access to Bangladesh Bank without delay.
They said in a statement that journalists reporting on the economy have been protesting, but the matter has not been resolved so far.
Bangladesh Bank spokesman Md Mezbaul Haque's statement to the media in this regard has come to the notice of Noab and the Editors' Council.
"From now on, journalists will be able to go to the spokesperson only with Bangladesh Bank's specific permit (entry pass). If an officer gives passes to journalists, then only that officer can be met. However, journalists will not be able to enter any department of the central bank freely as before. The central bank spokesman's statement said the move was a manifestation of an unannounced ban on the entry of journalists,” he had said.
Noab and the Editors' Council think that this decision of Bangladesh Bank is tantamount to snatching the freedom of media.
As a result of this ban, people will be deprived of the right to know the real condition of the bank and financial sector as well as the country's economy. In a way, this will increase the distrust of the public mind about this sector. At the same time, the organizations said it would encourage irregularities and corruption in the bank and financial sector.
The central bank is one of the most important institutions for a country's economy and public confidence. It is necessary to ensure the free flow of information to build a sustainable banking sector in the long term.
Over the past 53 years since independence, journalists have been instrumental in meeting the information requirements of the populace. They have also played a crucial role in holding the country's banks and financial apparatus accountable by freely accessing the central bank and gathering pertinent information, the organizations said in the statement.
