PARIS
An international human rights organization has strongly condemned the sudden suspension of a movie screening in Bangladesh.
The group warned that the government’s decision to stop the event under religious pressure sets a dangerous precedent for artistic freedom.
The Brahmanbaria Film Society had scheduled a screening of the state-approved film Bonolota Express at a local school during the holidays. However, a conservative student coalition launched an aggressive social media campaign against it, using defaced posters and inflammatory statements to label the cultural event religiously objectionable. Following the online backlash, local district officials canceled the screening to prevent tension.
Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a prominent rights body, called the cancellation a direct attack on free thought and expression. Shahanur Islam, a human rights lawyer and the founding president of JMBF, stated that bowing to extremist pressure amounts to surrendering public cultural spaces to radical forces.
The rights organization emphasized that the film had already cleared official state censorship boards. By failing to protect a lawful event, the group argues, the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party government has failed its moral and political duty to safeguard constitutional rights.
Activists warn that this incident sends a troubling message that online intimidation can successfully halt artistic activities. They fear that if the government does not take a firm stand against fundamentalist pressure now, it will open the door to further attacks on cinema, literature, and independent thought across the country.
