Protecting press freedom is not only the responsibility of journalists but also a duty of the entire society, said Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir.
Nurul Kabir, editor of English daily New Age, made the remark on Monday at a joint protest meeting organised by the Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) at a hotel in the capital on Monday.
He said, “Safeguarding media freedom is not only the duty of journalists. Society relies on the media to reflect the hopes and aspirations of all classes of people. Therefore, it is the responsibility of society as a whole to ensure the media can grow and function properly.”
Recalling the incident, the veteran journalist said, “You may have noticed that newspapers anywhere in the world have different editorial policies. What matters is whether they can express their views freely.”
He added that setting fire inside newspaper offices while journalists are at work, and blocking the fire service from responding, clearly reveals the intention of this group.
On Thursday night, Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, died while undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital. News of his death sparked outrage among his followers and people from all walks of life.
A section of the agitated crowd attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star that same night. No one was present at the Prothom Alo office at the time, while at least 30 journalists were working inside The Daily Star office. They took shelter on the rooftop to escape the fire.
Nurul Kabir himself was harassed when he went to the scene that night.
He alleged that the attack was carried out in a medieval style. He said, “No society in the world tolerates such acts. If we fail to stand against this incident, not only will the media be destroyed, but the path of society itself will be blocked.”
The president of the Editors’ Council also sought everyone’s support in this struggle for freedom of expression.
