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Editors threaten to defy media gagging rule
Jan 29, 2007 - 2:06:00 PM
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The committee said the Emergency Powers Rules of 2007 announced Thursday restrict press coverage of political news and set penalties of up to five years in prison for violations.
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By IANS,
[RxPG] Dhaka, Jan 29 - Senior journalists in Bangladesh have told the government that they will not abide by the norms and guidelines gagging the media imposed under emergency law.
The caretaker government did not trust the journalists and trust once lost cannot be restored easily, editors and senior journalists from print and television have informed Law and Information Advisor Mainul Hosein.
Hosein told them that the government had a set of powers under the emergency law but had not framed laws under it 'as the media and the people are the source of this government's power'.
'It is only a temporary arrangement. The state of emergency was imposed in the context of a dangerous anarchic situation,' The Daily Star Monday quoted Hosein as telling the journalists.
Emergency was imposed on Jan 11 and general elections due Jan 22 were cancelled after three months of political turmoil.
Media curbs are part of the emergency regulations that also restrict political activity and engaging in any 'provocative' action.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists - is greatly concerned about the new regulations imposed by the interim government that severely restrict news reporting, said UNB news agency.
The committee said the Emergency Powers Rules of 2007 announced Thursday restrict press coverage of political news and set penalties of up to five years in prison for violations.
'These rules give authorities sweeping powers of censorship that will deprive Bangladeshi citizens of independent information at this critical time,' said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director. 'We call on the interim government to rescind these repressive rules immediately.'
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