Dhaka, December 20, 2025 —
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has strongly condemned recent attacks on newspaper offices in Bangladesh, warning that a growing breakdown of law and order under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is endangering freedom of expression, civic space, and the prospects for credible national elections.
On the night of December 18, angry crowds attacked and vandalised the offices of two leading newspapers, setting parts of the buildings on fire. The violence followed news of the death of youth leader and Dhaka-8 parliamentary candidate Sharif Osman Hadi, who had been receiving treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head by unidentified assailants on December 12 in Dhaka’s Paltan area.
Hadi, the convenor of the Inqilab Mancha platform, rose to prominence during the 2024 student-led movement that culminated in the removal of former government. His killing has since triggered widespread unrest, protests, and renewed political instability.
In a statement, Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s Deputy Asia Director, described Hadi’s killing as “a horrific crime” and urged Bangladeshi authorities to take immediate action to halt the surge in mob violence that has spread across the country since August.
“Since the change in government, Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming erosion of law and order,” Ganguly said. “The authorities’ inability—or unwillingness—to prevent mob attacks, political violence, and assaults on journalists has created a climate of fear and impunity.”
HRW noted that under the Yunus-led interim administration, incidents of mob justice, targeted attacks, arson, and politically motivated violence have increased, while arrests and prosecutions of perpetrators have remained limited. The organisation warned that weak policing, delayed investigations, and inconsistent enforcement of the law are emboldening violent groups and undermining public trust in state institutions.
The rights group said the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star represented a “dangerous assault on freedom of expression,” adding that inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to violence—particularly on social media—have intensified amid the governance vacuum.
“Journalists, political activists, civil society members, artists, and cultural figures are increasingly being targeted or threatened,” HRW said, warning that shrinking civic space could lead to further human rights abuses.
Bangladesh is currently in a fragile transition, with the interim government having announced national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. HRW stressed that without urgent steps to restore law and order, ensure accountability for violence, and protect fundamental rights, the promise of a free, fair, and inclusive election will remain in serious doubt.
“The restoration of democracy cannot take place in an environment where mobs operate with impunity and the state fails to uphold the rule of law,” Ganguly said.
