Hasina’s speeches: Govt urges media not to publish them, ICT chief prosecutor says no blanket ban

Expressing deep concern, the government today urged the media not to publish or broadcast the speeches of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, showing the utmost respect for the court as well as the spirit of the July Uprising and the sacrifices of the martyrs.

The call was made in a release issued by the Ministry of Information today.

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Earlier this afternoon, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam told journalists that there was no bar to broadcasting Hasina’s speeches unless they amounted to hate speech.

Asked whether airing her remarks would violate any legal restrictions, he said there was no blanket ban, except on statements containing hate speech.

“Only her hateful statements should not be broadcast. There is a restriction on that,” he said.

The government, however, in its release expressed concern that some media outlets were not complying with the court’s directives regarding the broadcast of Sheikh Hasina’s speeches.

“We note with great regret that while a section of the media, inspired by the spirit of July, is complying with the court’s directives, some media outlets are still broadcasting the statements of the convicted accused. The government expresses deep concern over such activities,” the release said.