Media coverage of AL, its affiliated orgs also banned: Minister

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury has said the government ban on the Awami League also covers its media coverage and publicity of the activities and its affiliated organisations.

He said a government notification issued on May 12, 2025, prohibited all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated, associate and fraternal organisations, including publications and promotional activities through mass media, online platforms and social media.

“The ban on the Awami League’s activities also extends to its publicity and promotional activities. The media should keep this in mind,” he stated while responding to journalists after a meeting with a delegation of the Broadcast Journalists Centre (BJC) at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Commenting on recent arson incidents, he said those involved in such activities pursued a politics of destruction. The law enforcement agencies were alert and several people had already been arrested. The government was taking steps to bring those responsible to justice.

He also said Sheikh Hasina would be brought back to Bangladesh to face trial, expressing hope that the people would see justice.

At the meeting, the BJC delegation raised concerns over the financial crisis facing television channels, journalists’ salaries and benefits, professional independence and broadcasting modernisation.

Yaser Khan said the BNP government believed in media freedom and had not interfered in the operations of any print or electronic media outlet. The government would continue to uphold this policy, he added.

The delegation proposed sharing a portion of consumer-level subscription revenue with television channels to reduce their dependence on advertising. It also urged the government to implement key recommendations of the Media Reform Commission, including an interim revenue-sharing arrangement until digitalisation is completed.