DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- All radio and TV stations in Bangladesh were ordered to stop broadcasting news programs and one TV station owner was placed under house arrest.
Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based media watchdog, has condemned the interim government's decision to impose general censorship on the news media following a Jan. 11 verbal order to radio and TV stations to stop broadcasting news programs. Journalists have also been prevented from circulating freely in Dhaka.
"The desire to extricate Bangladesh from the current political crisis in no way justifies censorship," Reporters Without Borders said. "On the contrary, the interim government should guarantee the public's right to news and information because the country is going through a difficult period. This decision sends Bangladesh back to the dark days of the dictatorship. We call on the new interim government head Fakhruddin Ahmed to immediately lift all curbs on press freedom."
President Iajuddin Ahmed proclaimed a state of emergency and imposed a curfew on Jan. 11.
The broadcast media were told to broadcast only news bulletins issued by the government television station, BTV.
The authorities have also warned the print media not to criticize the interim government. But many daily newspapers have published front-page editorials condemning the censorship measures.
