Bangladesh: violent attacks on journalists are surging — the government must take action
Since the beginning of February, serious attacks on journalists have been on the rise, including beatings by baton and hammer — carried out by police officers and political activists alike — and storming newsrooms. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding the alarm and calling on the authorities to bring every perpetrator to justice and ensure journalists’ safety.
"The succession of multiple serious attacks against journalists in the past few days indicates a worrying surge in violence against the media. While the interim government’s takeover in August 2024 raised hopes for improvement, journalists’ safety remains unprotected. They are being assaulted while reporting, subjected to physical retaliation for their articles, and their newsrooms are being stormed by protesters. RSF calls on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible for these attacks, to put an end to this intolerable cycle of violence, and to ensure the safety of media professionals.
From newsroom raids to hammer attacks, journalists are targeted for their work
From threats to outright physical assaults, newsrooms and journalists in Bangladesh are facing serious attacks due to their reporting. On 12 February in Chattogram, the country’s second-largest city, hundreds of people who identified themselves as be employees of the Pacific Casuals Limited textile factory attempted to storm the offices of the newspaper Chattogram Pratidin to demand the removal of an article that criticised their factory. Held back by riot police, the protesters dispersed after the newspaper’s management promised to publish a right of reply, while also condemning the attack as an organised act of intimidation.
The recent attacks go beyond threatening demands to take down articles and include outright violence. In Shariatpur, a town in southwestern Bangladesh, journalists face brutal reprisals for their work: on 3 February, Shohag Khan, a correspondent for Dainik Samakal, was attacked by hammer and knife for his reporting on medical negligence by the brother of a clinic owner and his accomplices. The journalist had received death threats the day before. Three other journalists — Bidhan Majumder Oni from News 24 TV, Nayon Das from Bangla TV and Shaiful Islam Akash from Desh TV — were also injured as they tried to aid their fellow journalist, who was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
Attacks by protesters and political supporters
Media professionals also face violence and obstructions to their work when reporting on the ground. On 5 February, around twenty supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) violently attacked Javed Akhtar from ATN News and the journalists who came to his aid — Hasan Jabed from NTV and Azizul Islam Pannu from Deepto TV — in the premises of the Supreme Court. The three correspondents were covering the verdict of a case related to the 1994 attack on a train carrying the recently ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
The day after this attack, Mohammad Omar Farok, a correspondent for the national private channel Independent24 TV, Syed Mainul Ahasan Maruf, an employee of Ekattor TV, and several other journalists were assaulted by a crowd of protesters. They were covering the protestors’ demolition of a museum linked to the family of the former prime minister in Dhaka, the capital, an act initiated by the anti-discrimination student movement. The police did not intervene.
Journalists on assignment charged by police
On 9 February, six journalists were attacked — this time by the police. Kawser Ahmed Ripon from The Report Live, Asif Uz Zaman and Muhammad Mahadi from Kaler Kantho, Azhar Rakib from Bangladesh Pratidin, Mohammad Redwan from Jaago News, and Shimul Khan from Breaking News were beaten with batons, punched, and kicked by riot police while covering a student protest in Dhaka. The injured journalists stated that the police deliberately targeted them, despite them showing their press cards, and have filed a complaint.
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