NDI-IRI calls for end to intimidation of journalists during polls in Bangladesh
Cyber Security Act should be in line with international standards, it also says
Bangladesh's security actors should cease surveillance and intimidation of journalists and media outlets and protect space for critical reporting during elections, the joint technical assessment mission of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) recommended in its final report on the 7 January Jatiya Sangsad polls.
Besides, the government should review the Cyber Security Act to ensure that it is in line with international standards to protect the information environment during elections, the NDI-IRI Joint Technical Assessment Mission said in the report published in Washington on Saturday.
The Technical Assessment Mission also called on the government to implement CSA in a manner that addresses online harms and preserves freedom of speech, and iteratively seeks and responds to feedback from civil society, citizens, and other stakeholders on the law's implementation and amendment.
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It also called on social media companies to expand their internal capacity to monitor and regulate online behaviour in Bangladesh, prioritising localised expertise across language and political contexts.
The final Technical Assessment Mission report stated that the quality of Bangladesh's 2024 Jatiya Sangsad election was undermined by incidents of state, ruling party, and opposition violence.
The pre-election environment characterised by increased political polarisation, violence among political actors, contracting civic space, and worsening freedoms of expression and association also resulted in the decreased quality of the elections, it added.
However, it noted that the 2024 election period, including the campaign period, election day and the immediate aftermath, had less physical and online violence compared to previous election cycles, primarily due to the absence of nationwide partisan competition and the state's increased focus on election security.
The joint NDI-IRI team was deployed to Bangladesh to monitor potential electoral violence conditions before, during, and after the 7 January parliamentary elections.
FM Hasan on NDI-IRI report
Foreign Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud has said the national election was fair and peaceful even in the face of "BNP's sabotage to thwart the election."
The minister made the comment when asked about the NDI-IRI joint Technical Assessment Mission report at a programme organised by the ministry in Dhaka to mark the 104th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman yesterday.
The foreign minister said the NDI-IRI report has acknowledged that compared to previous elections held in Bangladesh there was less violence in the 2024 polls.
