Dhaka: The Tariqur Rahman government in Bangladesh has directed all print, electronic, digital and social media platforms to comply with court directives prohibiting broadcasting or publishing statements of ousted former Prime Minister and “fugitive” Sheikh Hasina.
Several media outlets in Bangladesh published and broadcast Hasina’s interview with Reuters news agency on Friday.The government statement on Friday evening referred to the ban imposed by the International Crimes Court in 2024 on broadcasting the statements made by Hasina.In addition, there are other legal restrictions in Bangladesh on broadcasting audio and video statements, interviews or speeches of an escaped convict sentenced by the court.Prominent London-based Bangladeshi journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan said Hasina’s statement promising to return to Bangladesh reinforces the fact that she remains the country’s supreme leader.“The nation must ensure the security of the former prime minister when she returns to the country. She was the target of assassination in Chittagong in 1988 and in grenade blasts in Dhaka in 2004,” Ahsan said.