Awami League (AL) leaders cannot file cases against journalists under Section 57 without approval from the party’s central committee.

The decision was taken at a recent central executive committee meeting, a top AL reader told NTV Onlien on the condition of anonymity.

The instruction will soon be delivered through a meeting to the grass root leaders, the AL leader said.

According to Bangladesh Federal Journalists Union leader M Abdullah, total cases filed under Section 57 against 27 journalists. Many of them are sent to prison after arrest.  

In August last year, three journalists of Bangla Mail, an online news portal, were detained from the work station. They were sent to jail. Abdul Latif Morol, a journalist from Khulna, the latest victim of the Section 57, was sent to jail.