Mohammad Ali Arafat
summarizing the lead. The removed part is already mentioned in the controversy section in detail. cleanup.
| ← Previous revision | Revision as of 17:37, 24 April 2026 | ||
| Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
'''Mohammad Ali Arafat''' (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi politician and academic associated with [[Awami League|Bangladesh Awami League]]. He served as the [[Minister of State]] for [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]] in the [[Fifth Hasina ministry|fifth Hasina Cabinet]]. He was a two-time [[Parliament of bangladesh|member of the parliament]] representing [[Dhaka-17]] constituency.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-06 |title=Winner |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/winner |access-date=2024-08-29 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} He is also the founder and chairperson of [[Suchinta Foundation|Suchinta Foundataion]], a non-profit think tank and research centre. Following the [[Fall of Sheikh Hasina|resignation of Sheikh Hasina]] on 5 August 2024, he left Bangladesh and has since been living in self imposed [[exile]]. In October 2024, [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh]] issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged crimes during the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|2024 quota reform]] [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|movement]], and sought [[Interpol]] assistance for a possible Red Notice.{{cite news |title=Crimes against humanity, genocide: Arrest warrants for Hasina, 45 others |url=https://images.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/crimes-against-humanity-genocide-arrest-warrants-hasina-45-others-3730126 |access-date=9 May 2025 |work=The Daily Star |date=2024-10-18}} However, he called the tribunal as a 'political show trial'.{{Cite news |last=Ellis-Petersen |first=Hannah |last2=Ahmed |first2=Redwan |date=2025-08-02 |title='She should answer for what she did': trial of ex-Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina begins |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/02/she-should-answer-for-what-she-did-trial-of-ex-bangladeshi-leader-sheikh-hasina-begins |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |title=Sheikh Hasina's Spokesperson Mohammad Ali Arafat on the ICT's 'Legally Void' Sentence |url=https://thediplomat.com/2025/12/sheikh-hasinas-spokesperson-mohammad-ali-arafat-on-the-icts-legally-void-sentence/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} |
'''Mohammad Ali Arafat''' (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi politician and academic associated with [[Awami League|Bangladesh Awami League]]. He served as the [[Minister of State]] for [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]] in the [[Fifth Hasina ministry|fifth Hasina Cabinet]]. He was a two-time [[Parliament of bangladesh|member of the parliament]] representing [[Dhaka-17]] constituency.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-06 |title=Winner |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/winner |access-date=2024-08-29 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} He is also the founder and chairperson of [[Suchinta Foundation|Suchinta Foundataion]], a non-profit think tank and research centre. Following the [[Fall of Sheikh Hasina|resignation of Sheikh Hasina]] on 5 August 2024, he left Bangladesh and has since been living in self imposed [[exile]]. In October 2024, [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh]] issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged crimes during the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|2024 quota reform]] [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|movement]], and sought [[Interpol]] assistance for a possible Red Notice.{{cite news |title=Crimes against humanity, genocide: Arrest warrants for Hasina, 45 others |url=https://images.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/crimes-against-humanity-genocide-arrest-warrants-hasina-45-others-3730126 |access-date=9 May 2025 |work=The Daily Star |date=2024-10-18}} However, he called the tribunal as a 'political show trial'.{{Cite news |last=Ellis-Petersen |first=Hannah |last2=Ahmed |first2=Redwan |date=2025-08-02 |title='She should answer for what she did': trial of ex-Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina begins |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/02/she-should-answer-for-what-she-did-trial-of-ex-bangladeshi-leader-sheikh-hasina-begins |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |title=Sheikh Hasina's Spokesperson Mohammad Ali Arafat on the ICT's 'Legally Void' Sentence |url=https://thediplomat.com/2025/12/sheikh-hasinas-spokesperson-mohammad-ali-arafat-on-the-icts-legally-void-sentence/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} |
||
During his tenure, Arafat defended his government's response to the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|2024 Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement]], attributing the unrest to the involvement of third-party actors, including extremists group.{{Cite news |date=25 Jul 2024 |title=Bangladesh minister defends gov't response to protests amid calls for probe |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/25/bangladesh-minister-defends-govt-response-to-protests-amid-calls-for-probe}} However, a report by the [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|OHCHR]] found evidence of brutal and systematic repression of the protests by his government.{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh: UN report finds brutal, systematic repression of protests, calls for justice for serious rights violations |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/bangladesh-un-report-finds-brutal-systematic-repression-protests-calls |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=OHCHR |language=en}} |
During his tenure, Arafat defended his government's response to the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|2024 Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement]], attributing the unrest to the involvement of third-party actors, including extremists group.{{Cite news |date=25 Jul 2024 |title=Bangladesh minister defends gov't response to protests amid calls for probe |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/25/bangladesh-minister-defends-govt-response-to-protests-amid-calls-for-probe}} However, a report by the [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|OHCHR]] found evidence of brutal and systematic repression of the protests by his government.{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh: UN report finds brutal, systematic repression of protests, calls for justice for serious rights violations |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/bangladesh-un-report-finds-brutal-systematic-repression-protests-calls |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=OHCHR |language=en}} |
||
==Career== |
==Career== |
||
| Line 58: | Line 58: | ||
=== Media censorship === |
=== Media censorship === |
||
In July 2024, during the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement]], then [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)|State Minister for Information and Broadcasting]] Mohammad Ali Arafat instructed [[Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited|Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL)]] Chairman Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood to temporarily suspend the broadcast of four private TV |
In July 2024, during the [[2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement|Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement]], then [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)|State Minister for Information and Broadcasting]] Mohammad Ali Arafat instructed [[Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited|Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL)]] Chairman Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood to temporarily suspend the broadcast of four private TV channels-[[Desh TV]], [[Channel 24 (Bangladeshi TV channel)|Channel 24]], [[NTV (Bangladeshi TV channel)|NTV]], and [[Banglavision]]. |
||
The directive came via WhatsApp. A screenshot reveals that on July 18 at 1:01 PM, Arafat messaged Mahmood: ''“Desh TV will go off the air from 13:10 PM for 10 minutes. Please confirm.”'' Mahmood replied “Yes.” Arafat later confirmed the signal was restored after 15 minutes, with viewers seeing either a mechanical error or a paused screen. Mahmood responded, “Perfect.” |
The directive came via WhatsApp. A screenshot reveals that on July 18 at 1:01 PM, Arafat messaged Mahmood: ''“Desh TV will go off the air from 13:10 PM for 10 minutes. Please confirm.”'' Mahmood replied “Yes.” Arafat later confirmed the signal was restored after 15 minutes, with viewers seeing either a mechanical error or a paused screen. Mahmood responded, “Perfect.” |
||
