Ongoing disputes between the ruling Awami League and former prime minister
Begum Khaleda Zia’s opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), however,
have sustained political tensions. Hasina’s government has refused to allow
the BNP and other opposition parties to play a meaningful role in policy
formulation. This has led to frequent parliamentary walkouts by the BNP
and its allies, resulting in sometimes-violent street protests and general
strikes from all parties, and even blocs within parties, called for rallies
and demonstrations, using violence and intimidation to enforce general
strikes. In separate incidents, two photojournalists were beaten when
photographing clashes during street demonstrations. In a third case,
a photojournalist was seriously injured when he was hit in the head by
a tear-gas shell fired by police attempting to disperse a rally.
In the rural areas, journalists reporting on corruption and government
irregularities sometimes face intimidation and harassment. Rural women
are becoming increasingly active in a widespread network of non-governmental
organizations promoting social development and self-reliance
projects. Some conservative Muslim fundamentalists have resisted the
increasing political and economic participation of women in Bangladesh
and on occasion have threatened journalists covering these issues. However,
as one journalist described it, "These represent irritations, not national
problems."
Government efforts to fully privatize the print media by closing two
state-owned newspapers, Dainik Bangla and Bangladesh Times,
have divided the journalistic community. Some journalists considered the
closure of the state-owned newspapers to be a violation of press freedom,
claiming veteran journalists sympathetic to those now in opposition have
lost their jobs. On the other hand, many journalists applaud the move as
a step toward greater autonomy for the news.