STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Article 19 yesterday expressed concern over the interim government’s abrupt release of draft ordinances to establish a National Media Commission and a Broadcasting Commission, allowing only three days for public feedback.

The last-minute move, taken at the closing stage of the interim government’s tenure, lacks transparency and due process and risks undermining freedom of expression in Bangladesh, the UK-based international human rights organisation said in a statement.

According to the rights body, the draft National Media Commission Ordinance proposes a commission whose structure, status, responsibilities of commissioners, and administrative and financial framework would remain under direct government control and heavy bureaucratic influence.

It said such a design exposes the body to political interference and falls short of international human rights standards, including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which requires media regulators to be independent, impartial, and free from executive control.

Beyond questions of structural independence, Article 19 said the ordinance contains further deficiencies, including the exclusion of freelance journalists from the legal definition of “journalist”, depriving a large Article It

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