Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam yesterday warned that "media trials" and excessive public pressure are corroding the neutrality of Bangladesh's justice system, making it difficult for judges to adjudicate cases "calmly and rationally".

Speaking at a panel discussion titled "State & Trends of Death Penalty Sentencing Practices in Bangladesh," held at Drik Gallery in Panthapath, Alam said the country's justice system operates in a "toxic environment" where sensationalism often outweighs sober deliberation.

The event was organised by Dhaka-based research organisation Decage as part of an ongoing art exhibition called "Living on Death Row."

Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir said judges in the lower courts frequently crumble under the intense social and media pressure, and they lack the maturity and impartiality required to handle death penalty cases fairly.

"As a result, nearly 60 percent of death sentences issued by lower courts are overturned by the High Court," he added.

Monir said around 2,156 prisoners are currently on death row. He proposed a moratorium on executions until the system is reformed.

He called for a permanent investigation agency for murder cases and an end to the practice of sending convicts to condemned cells before final verdicts.

Barrister Mushfiqul Huda called for independent homicide units in every district and criticised reliance on confessional statements -- a colonial legacy he termed "the culprit of the law".

He cited the trial of revolutionary Khudiram Bose as the first death sentence in the subcontinent based solely on a confession, lamenting that the practice persists.

Shah Newaz Sakib, executive director of Decage, said impoverished defendants often confess under police remand because they cannot afford legal counsel or bribe the police.

He said the justice system frequently acquits wealthy offenders while sentencing the poor to death, underscoring the need to modernise confession procedures to prevent wrongful convictions.