Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) press freedoms in Bangladesh, and (2) the extent to which British journalists may freely enter and leave that country.

Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the UK. As the FCDO's 2021 Human Rights and Democracy Report states, press freedom remains restricted in Bangladesh, and we continue to assess that Bangladesh's Digital Security Act has been applied in a repressive manner. Ministers regularly raise human rights issues in public and private with the Government of Bangladesh, including the importance of free media. UK funding has supported objective media coverage of conflict in communities, as well as the training and education of investigative and female journalists in Bangladesh. The UK will continue to engage with the Government of Bangladesh to address these issues, and will support efforts towards a stable, prosperous and democratic Bangladesh. British journalists are able to enter and leave Bangladesh, and the UK Government will raise any incidents of harassment or restrictions on movement with the Government.