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Project Name: Ensuring Freedom and Accountability for the Media in Bangladesh

•    Project Partner: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and The Asia Foundation 

•    Project Duration: February 2025- March 2026

Project Summary: 

The media sector in Bangladesh is ranked low in the World Freedom Press Index because journalists are unable to practice true journalism due to legal restrictions. These vague and torturous laws were made to pull them back to unleash the truth. Lots of journalist were killed, tortured, and disappeared just to do their job. These heinous crimes took place during the Awami League regime. But after the fall of this regime on August 5, 2024, the interim government came into power, promising transformation in every sector. For ensuring media freedom, the interim government established the Media Reform Commission. The Media Reform Commission has come up with recommendations and two draft ordinances to make the media sector a trustworthy place for people, where journalists can work freely without any political pressure. 

The main goal of the project is to work with and push the government, civil society, politicians, and media professionals to establish a commission that will monitor the print, electronic, and digital media. The commission will be independent from any political influence and will have its financial system to run it. Other than that, this commission will also protect the journalist and their families from any kind of physical threat, mental pressure, harassment, and torture. The CGS team will organize public dialogues attended by the government, civil society, politicians, and media professionals to highlight the importance of media freedom under the two ordinances.