President of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) AK Azad has announced that it will hold a national grand conference of journalists mid-January to discuss press freedom and plan future actions, following recent attacks on media outlets.
The announcement was made at a joint protest meeting titled “Bangladesh Affected by Mob Violence”, organised by the Editors’ Council and NOAB on Monday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
“Our voices cannot be silenced. A national grand conference of journalists from across the country will be held in Dhaka mid-January, from where the next course of action will be announced,” Azad said.
He emphasised that the collective aim of the conference is to resist forces attacking media freedom and ensure justice for the recent assaults on journalists.
Referring to the coordinated attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star last Thursday, the NOAB chairman said that timely security was not provided despite prior warnings.
“If the fire had continued for another 15 minutes that day, journalists would have suffocated to death,” he noted.
He also expressed hope that those responsible for these attacks – which also targeted Chhayanaute and Udichi – will be brought to book.
On Thursday night, Prothom Alo was targeted in what was described as a deliberate and organised terrorist attack, with its office vandalised, set on fire and looted. The Daily Star offices met the same fate a few hours.
In addition, Editors’ Council President and New Age Editor Nurul Kabir was also harassed by the mob. Many speakers at the meeting condemned the incidents, terming the night a “black day for media”, and said the attacks amounted to a direct assault on independent journalism in the country.
Leaders of various political parties, representatives of professional bodies, business organisations, journalist organisations and members of civil society from different walks of life attended the protest meeting in solidarity.
After the meeting, participants formed a human chain on the road in front of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel, demanding punishment of the perpetrators and protection of media.
