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'Fake' Twitter used to justify campaign against Awami League


Published : 01 Apr 2022 03:14 PM | Updated : 01 Apr 2022 03:14 PM

In a bizarre show of unsubstantiated campaign against Sheikh Hasina-led government, a 'fake' Twitter handle purportedly affiliated with Awami League has been attributed to justify a campaign against the ruling party.

Netra News editor David Bergman, the son-in-law of Dr Kamal Hossain, who earlier made hollow promises to unseat Sheikh Hasina has made a tweet claiming AL’s “media and publicity cell” Twitter handle liked a story shared by netra news’s official handle. 

Referring to that unverified account “Media and Publicity Cell Bangladesh Awami League”, Bergman posted on his Twitter: “Glad to see the media cell of Bangladesh’s ruling party, the Awami League, liking Netra news story on torture in Bangladesh”

Interestingly a careful look at the page referred to as the media cell of AL exposes a different reality. 

“Given Awami League already operates a Twitter account that holds the verified blue tick, any scope to run such pages simultaneously is a laughing stock”, reveals a source having knowledge of AL’s publicity affairs. 

“There are a number of unauthorised pages both on Facebook and Twitter bearing the name of the party. And the party earlier notified those facts too. However, claiming activities of such pages as the official stance of Awami League is not only naive but also very foolish on the part of anybody”, added the source. 

“Before making a claim as such, a real journalist would check its authenticity,” said the source.

Bergman, who came to the limelight for his controversial statements regarding the war crimes trial, has come up with a series of smear campaigns against the ruling Awami League through his personal blogs and the controversial National Endowment for Democracy funded offshore platform Netra News.