Amnesty International, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), and Reporters without Borders (RSF) have lost their credibility because of their partiality against Bangladesh, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud.
The minister made the comment while holding a meeting with the members of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) on Wednesday.
He came down heavily on the rights bodies for what he called their "biased take on human rights, press freedom, and corruption in Bangladesh".
Rejecting some recent reports of the rights bodies, the minister said: “TIB's allegation of plundering about Tk 23,000 crore on Covid vaccines was baseless while the Amnesty International was silent when BNP launched a petrol bomb campaign against the government in the name of agitation. It, however, was vocal against the trial of the war criminals in Bangladesh.”
The minister also rejected the latest Press Freedom Index published by Paris-based RSF (Reporters without Border) in which Bangladesh slipped 10 notches to 162 among 180 countries.
Referring to the index, Hasan reiterated that the Digital Security Act (DSA) has been formulated for the overall security of the people from digital harassment and assaults on their dignity and privacy.
"This is absolutely not against journalists," he reaffirmed though admitting abuses in some cases.
No case under the DSA can be filed now without permission from the police and no journalist can either be arrested in a sweeping action, he said. "The interests of journalists are being protected," he added.
