Journalist leaders in Bangladesh said restrictions on media access to the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division and various High Court Division courtrooms are unconstitutional. At a sit-in organized by the Law Reporters Forum outside the Supreme Court’s main gate on August 12, they urged the chief justice to immediately restore access for media workers and warned of tougher action if the demand is not met.

Speakers said journalists have been barred from the Appellate Division and several High Court courtrooms since January 7, preventing direct observation of pending cases and news gathering. Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir said open-court proceedings are a constitutional obligation and alleged that the public was being denied its right to information.

Dhaka Union of Journalists President Shahidul Islam said journalists would take to the streets if their rights were not secured through the peaceful gathering. Dhaka Reporters Unity President Abu Saleh Akon also called for the restrictions to be lifted. Law Reporters Forum President Muhammad Yasin said the group would soon announce a programme to enter Appellate Division courtrooms if its demand is not accepted. More than 200 journalists joined the sit-in.