Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, spokesperson of the National Citizens Party (NCP), stated that the media should not serve as a mouthpiece for any ruler, political party, or power center, but remain loyal only to truth and the people. He made the remarks on Tuesday, June 16, through a Facebook post marking Bangladesh’s Press Black Day.

In his statement, Bhuiyan recalled that on this day in 1975, the BAKSAL government under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shut down all newspapers except four, leaving thousands of journalists and press workers jobless and silencing the nation’s independent voice. He said that even after the fall of BAKSAL, press freedom in Bangladesh has repeatedly come under attack, particularly during the past 17 years under the Awami League government, which he accused of suppressing dissent and controlling the media.

Bhuiyan warned that if the current government continues similar practices, it would repeat past mistakes. He called on all governments to respect press freedom, emphasizing that any attack on media independence is an attack on democracy itself.