Travel restriction on Ocab President Nazrul Islam withdrawn, he says

Nazrul Islam, the Dhaka correspondent of German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) and president of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (Ocab), has said that the government has withdrawn a travel restriction previously imposed on him.

In a social media post yesterday (6 May), Nazrul stated that Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon personally reached out to him last evening to inform him of the decision.

According to the journalist, the minister told him, “The restriction on your travel has been withdrawn. You are now free to travel abroad.”

The minister reportedly explained that the bar had been a legacy of the previous regime and acknowledged it as a mistake that has now been rectified.

The incident occurred on 3 May at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport where immigration authorities prevented Nazrul from boarding a China Southern Airlines flight to Shanghai for a private trip.

Recounting the airport ordeal, Nazrul noted that immigration officers had held him back citing “objections from intelligence officials” without providing any specific reasons.

He described the restriction as a “textbook example” of a violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement and a breach of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Nazrul, also a former president of Dhaka Reporters Unity, expressed appreciation for the government’s prompt response.

He remarked that the resolution suggested a genuine willingness by the new administration, formed after the February election, to distance itself from the repressive policies of the past.

“This episode has reaffirmed my belief that politics is ultimately safest in the hands of elected politicians,” he wrote.

The journalist also extended his gratitude to the Bangladeshi media, Ocab, and various journalists’ unions for their solidarity.