Bangladesh high courts lifts ban on garment factory documentary News
Bangladesh high courts lifts ban on garment factory documentary

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Bangladesh [official website] on Sunday lifted a ban on the release of a documentary film that depicted the rescue of a woman 17-days after the 2013 garment factory disaster. The movie producer appealed [AP report] the ban to a four-judge panel led by judge Surendra Kumar Sinha. The film’s director, Nazrul Islam Khan argued that the story is one of heroism, not of tragedy. The film was banned after a petition was circulated that the film portrayed horrors and negativity that could permanently affect garment workers in the country.

The accident drew attention [NYT report] to the plight of the poor in Bangladesh. In response, Bangladesh lawmakers approved new labor laws [JURIST report] in July 2013, which permitted unions greater power in the nation but created barriers to entry that some argue are impractically high. The changes came in an effort to update the Bangladeshi laws to meet international standards. Bangladesh has ratified most of the core International Labor Organization [official website] labor standards, including Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and Convention No. 98 on the right to organize and bargain collectively. According to the World Factbook, exports totaled USD $28.62 billion in 2013 and an estimated $31.2 billion in 2014.