Bangladesh lifts ban on all social media

By

Sheuli Akter

Bangladesh has lifted its restrictions on all social mefia platforms including Skype, Twitter, WhatsApp and Viber.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim told journalists on Monday night about withdrawing restrictions on all social media.

She said that her ministry has already sent directives to all relevant authorities for steps at their earliest to unblock all social media platforms.

Regarding some local media reports about the imposition of a ban on  Twitter, Skype and Imo on Sunday night, she said no such ban has been imposed.

“All social media are now open in Bangladesh.”

Earlier on Thursday Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) lifted its ban on Facebook.

Citing security concerns, Bangladesh blocked Facebook, WhatsApp and viber on Nov. 18 after the Supreme Court delivered verdicts upholding the death penalties of two influential opposition leaders — Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed who were executed last month for war crimes in 1971.

Sheuli Akter

Sheuli Akter, from Bangladesh, is a Special Correspondent and Editor of NsNewsWire, (Bangladesh’s First Press Newswire).  Previously she had worked for Bangladesh’ top news agency, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) and top newspaper (now defunct) The Bangladesh Observer. She also gained an honourable mention in the first ever World Media Summit WMS Awards for ‘Exemplary News Professionals in Developing Countries’, receiving the award in Beijing in January 2015.