The Paris-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has urged the interim government of Bangladesh to immediately end what it calls a “systematic assault” on journalists and independent media, warning that the country’s press freedom is facing an unprecedented collapse under the current regime.
The call came on November 2, marking the 11th International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. In a strongly worded statement, JMBF accused the interim administration—led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus—of weaponizing state institutions to suppress dissent, prosecute journalists, and muzzle independent reporting.
Record spike in attacks on journalists
According to JMBF’s report, between August 2024 and July 2025, at least 878 journalists were targeted under the interim government—an increase of about 230 percent compared to the previous year.
The organization said 195 criminal cases were filed against journalists, marking a 558 percent jump, while 167 journalists lost their official accreditation, effectively barring them from accessing government briefings and events.
In the same period, 496 journalists were subjected to various forms of harassment and intimidation, while three were killed in the line of duty. JMBF documented 398 incidents of attacks and harassment within just eight months—from August 2024 to March 2025—underscoring what it described as a “climate of fear and self-censorship” across the media landscape.
“These are not just numbers,” the organization said in its statement. “They represent a terrifying reality for those whose profession is to report truth and hold power to account.”
Women journalists most at risk
The statement particularly highlighted the case of Farzana Rupa, a female journalist who has been detained for over 14 months under seven allegedly fabricated murder charges.
JMBF claimed Rupa’s health has deteriorated severely in custody, but authorities have refused both bail and medical care. The group warned that she faces the risk of “death by neglect,” similar to several detained Awami League supporters who reportedly died in custody without treatment.
“Women journalists face a double threat—both from the general climate of repression and from gender-based harassment and discrimination,” the organization said. “When women journalists are silenced, Bangladesh loses essential perspectives from its public discourse.”
“Reform rhetoric” vs. repression
JMBF criticized the interim government for “contradictory behavior”—announcing the formation of a Media Reform Commission while simultaneously using legal instruments like the Cyber Security Act, Anti-Terrorism Act, and Special Powers Act to criminalize journalism.
The organization described this as “a betrayal of the very principles of democratic transition,” noting that the government’s actions—revoking press credentials, filing arbitrary charges, and denying bail—have effectively replaced open reporting with fear-driven silence.
Demands to the interim government
The Paris-based watchdog outlined a set of urgent demands to restore press freedom in Bangladesh, including:
- Dropping all criminal cases against journalists for professional reporting.
- Restoring the accreditations of journalists banned from official events.
- Conducting independent investigations into attacks, harassment, and killings of journalists.
- Reforming repressive laws that enable arbitrary detention and prosecution.
- Providing special protections for women journalists and legal aid for those targeted.
- Allowing international human rights and press freedom missions to independently assess the situation.
JMBF called on the European Union, the United Nations, and other international partners to “raise their voices in solidarity with the journalists of Bangladesh, who daily risk much to deliver truth to the public.”
International concern over Bangladesh’s press freedom
Bangladesh’s media environment has sharply deteriorated since the August 2024 ouster of the elected Awami League government. Human rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Human Rights Watch, have ranked Bangladesh among the most dangerous countries in Asia for journalists.
Analysts warn that the ongoing repression is eroding the credibility of the interim government’s promises to “restore democracy.” Instead, they argue, the persecution of media workers underlines a broader attempt to suppress secular and pro-democratic voices.
“The continued persecution of journalists in Bangladesh signals not only a failure of governance but also a betrayal of the nation’s founding ideals,” said JMBF founder-president Advocate Shahanur Islam in Paris. “No society can be free if its journalists are silenced with impunity.”
