PEN Bangladesh, an association of writers and literary professionals, has congratulated the newly elected government on receiving an overwhelming mandate from the people of Bangladesh to lead the country at a critical juncture in its democratic transition.

The scale of public endorsement carries both legitimacy and responsibility to revitalise Bangladesh’s struggling democratic institutions, restore public trust and recalibrate the balance between authority and constitutional rights, said a press release on Wednesday.

Signed by PEN Bangladesh president Shamsad Mortuza and secretary general Jahanara Parveen, the association expressed its deep concern over the narrowed civic space that led to the detention and persecution of writers, journalists, academics and digital commentators.

Additionally, the expansive security legislation and overarching mob violence have produced a climate of caution and self-censorship that has eroded the spirit of a constitutional democracy, mentioned the press release.

To advance meaningful democratic reform, PEN Bangladesh called for an immediate release of all writers, journalists and activists detained for peaceful expression; an independent review of recent civil rights violations, including misuse of digital and security laws; reform of repressive legal provisions, particularly those criminalising speech under broadly defined or ambiguous clauses and firm guarantees for media independence, artistic freedom and digital rights.

PEN Bangladesh urged the new government to prioritise the restoration of civic freedoms, particularly the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression, as the country transitioned from interim administration to full democratic governance.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday took oath as prime minister for the first time, forming a government with a 49-member cabinet after his party’s landslide victory in the February 12 Jatiya Sangsad polls.