BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today condemned the recent attacks on newspapers, including Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.

"I strongly condemn this. I have fought for press freedom my entire life. That is my aim, my belief, my trust," Fakhrul said while addressing a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

Stressing the importance of free expression in a democracy, he said, "What is democracy? You express your opinion, and I may disagree. But I will defend your freedom of expression with my life. That is democracy."

Criticising suppression of dissenting voices, Fakhrul said, "You overthrew a fascist because she was choking us, killing us, silencing us, denying us the right to vote, and committing murders and oppression."

"I have been fighting for 14-15 years. I have been jailed many times. I am ready to go to jail again anytime, but I do not want to see this kind of Bangladesh."

"What I believe in, what my party believes in, I will speak the truth even if it costs me my life. I believe in liberal democracy. I believe in people's freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of voting," he said.