As international concern grows over media freedom and journalist safety in Bangladesh, a recent statement from the government has sparked fresh controversy. Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Sunday (February 15) claimed that during the tenure of the interim government, “no journalist has been arrested for expressing opinions” and that “freedom of speech has not been curtailed.”
According to the adviser, actions taken against certain individuals were based on specific information and followed due legal procedures.
However, journalist leaders, rights activists and media observers have strongly disputed the claim, pointing to data from the past 18 months—particularly developments throughout 2025—that they say contradict the government’s position.
What the Numbers Show
Statistics compiled between August 2024 and February 2026 suggest that pressure on journalists has not eased and, in some instances, has intensified.
According to Bangladesh’s human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), at least 381 journalists faced various forms of harassment, intimidation and abuse between January and December 2025 alone.
Among them:
123 journalists were sued.
118 were physically assaulted while performing professional duties.
Others reported threats, public humiliation and digital harassment.
Senior journalist Monjurul Alam Panna, in a recent video message, claimed that from August 2024—when the interim government assumed office—until March 2025, a total of 398 incidents of journalist repression were documented in just seven months.
“What the state calls legal process is, for victims, merely a strategy to silence dissent,” he said.
The ‘Black Day’ in Gazipur
One of the most alarming incidents cited by media leaders is the killing of journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin on August 7, 2025, in Gazipur. Tuhin, 38, a reporter for a local daily, was hacked to death in broad daylight.
According to fellow journalists, Tuhin had been reporting on alleged extortion and administrative irregularities in the area. Six months after the murder, slow progress in the investigation and the failure to apprehend key suspects have raised questions about accountability and state commitment to journalist safety.
Media leaders argue that such incidents fundamentally challenge claims that freedom of expression remains intact.
Legal Measures or Climate of Fear?
Analysts say that imprisonment is not the only tool used to suppress media voices. The application of cyber-related laws and similar legal frameworks, they argue, has contributed to a culture of self-censorship among journalists.
International watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Amnesty International, noted in their 2025 reports that the working environment for journalists in Bangladesh has continued to shrink. While technical arguments may assert that no journalist was arrested solely for expressing opinions, rights groups suggest that critics are often charged under other offenses, leading to detention or prolonged legal harassment.
Recent cases involving senior journalists, including Anis Alamgir, have further heightened anxiety within the media community.
“History Is Not Written by Press Notes”
Leaders of a faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) argue that official statements cannot erase lived experiences.
“Governments may claim nothing has happened,” a senior journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “But history is not written through official press notes. It is written through the blood of journalists like Asaduzzaman Tuhin and through the daily fear of those who hesitate to write under the threat of lawsuits.”
Media observers stress that press freedom is central to democratic accountability. They argue that beyond public assurances, the government must ensure effective implementation of journalist protection measures and bring perpetrators of violence against media workers to justice.
As the debate intensifies, the gap between official narratives and documented incidents continues to fuel concerns about the state of media freedom in Bangladesh.
