Dhaka
\nA gang of Bangladesh student protesters entered the offices of the investor of a television station accusing it of \u201cpropaganda\u201d, protesters said Tuesday, with at least five journalists subsequently fired.
\nThe students had taken part in the August revolution that toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose tenure was marked as one of the worst periods for media freedom.
\nHasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, led around 15 to 20 students on December 17 to the offices of City Group, who invest in Somoy Television.
\n\u201cSomoy Television was spreading propaganda, twisting my comments, and accommodating the views of a fallen political party,\u201d Hasnat told AFP.
\n\u201cWe are staunch supporters of press freedom, but the press must remain unbiased,\u201d Hasnat said, adding that he saw no issue in making demands \u2013 but rejecting reports the students had handed over a list of those they wanted fired.
\nThe managing director of the business conglomerate that funds the television station did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
\nThe incident has intensified fear among journalists in the wake of the revolution.
\nOne journalist, Omar Faroque, who had been a senior editor of the television station, said he was among the five who received a termination letter without reason.
\n\u201cThe television authorities requested a few of us to step down for the greater good of the station,\u201d Faroque told AFP.
\n\u201cWe demanded an explanation for the decision, but the authorities refused to provide any.\u201d
\nInterim leader Muhammad Yunus has repeatedly insisted he wants media freedom.
\nYunus\u2019 press secretary Shafiqul Alam sought to distance the government, saying that if someone \u201ctakes any action, the responsibility lies with them\u201d.
\nPress watchdogs say many journalists \u2013 seen by critics as having supported Hasina when she was in power \u2013 face police investigations in apparent retaliation for their past work.
\nAt least four journalists were imprisoned, and scores are facing legal cases across the country.
\nHasina and her government were frequently accused of exerting undue pressure on the handful of independent media outlets, including shutting down newspapers and TV channels, and imprisoning journalists.
\nAfter Hasina\u2019s government fell, several TV channels including Somoy TV came under attack for their alleged allegiance to her Awami League.
\nIn November, protesters besieged the offices of Prothom Alo \u2013 the largest Bengali-language newspaper \u2013 and threatened to shut it down, as well as The Daily Star.
\nBangladesh ranks 165 out of 180 countries in press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dhaka A gang of Bangladesh student protesters entered the offices of the investor of a television station accusing it of \u201cpropaganda\u201d, protesters said Tuesday, with at least five journalists subsequently fired. The students had taken part in the August revolution that toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose tenure was marked as one of the worst […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-451490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n