Human rights violators making prescriptions on HR: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has said it is really unfortunate that the persons who are violating human rights (HR) are now making different statements and prescriptions on the issue.

"Today is the 'World Human Rights Day'. But the countrymen are witnessing that the persons who violate human rights are now talking about the human rights issue which is ridiculous," he said while addressing a memorial meeting at Jatiya Press Club (JPC) on Sunday.

Chittagong Journalists Forum Dhaka (CJFD) organized the meeting in memory of its two former presidents and senior journalist freedom fighters M Wahid Ullah and Shilabrata Barua.

Dr Hasan alleged that talking about human rights does not suit BNP as they broke all records of violating human rights. They want to besiege people day after day and burn innocent people in the name of movement, he said.

He said it is also unfortunate that the persons, who are violating human rights across the world, are giving prescriptions. Human rights are extremely violated in Palestine and the Israeli forces are killing innocent people including women and children like birds, he said.

Hasan said about 18,000 people including 13,000 women and children were killed till now in Palestine.

The information minister said everyone has a collective responsibility to take forward the country. Everyone should resist the persons who want to create instability in the country, said Dr Hasan.

He said the journalists' society could play a pivotal role in this respect.

Paying glowing tributes to senior journalists M Wahid Ullah and Shilabrata Barua, Dr Hasan said the two journalists were well-known in the mass media and they worked for the development of mass media in their whole life. As journalists, they have done their work with utmost sincerity and honesty.

Hasan Mahmud said journalists, editors and mass media can mould public opinion. "When we formed the government in 2009, there were 10 TV channels and 450 daily newspapers. Now the number of newspapers is 1,260 while 35 TV channels are on air,” he added.

JPC general secretary and the daily Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamal Dutta, CJFD leaders Shahin-ul Islam, Mezbah Uddin Jangi, Mostafa Kamal Pasha, Saif Islam Dilal, Enamul Haque, Anup Khasthagir and Shamim Jahangir, BSS chief news editor Samir Kanti Barua, BSS city editor Kanai Chakrabarti, and journalist Shibu Kanti Das, among others, addressed the meeting with CJFD president Mamun Abdullah in the chair.

CJFD general secretary Towhidur Rahman conducted the meeting while Asif Wahid son of M Wahid Ullah also spoke on the occasion.

/KN/