In recent times, incidents of severe attacks on journalists in Bangladesh have increased. Since the beginning of February, not only have newspaper offices been attacked, but journalists have also been beaten with sticks and hammers by police and political activists.
On Saturday (February 15), the international non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which works for journalists’ rights worldwide, released this information in a statement.
In the statement, Célia Mercier, head of RSF’s South Asia desk, said that after the interim government took power in August 2024, it was expected that the situation would improve. However, in reality, journalists remain unsafe. They are being attacked while reporting, facing physical retaliation for their reports, and protesters are storming their offices.
The statement mentioned that on February 12, hundreds of people, claiming to be employees of Pacific Casuals Limited, a textile factory in Chattogram, attacked the office of Chattogram Pratidin, demanding the removal of an article that criticized their factory.
On February 3, in Shariatpur, Sohag Khan, a correspondent for Daily Samakal, was attacked with a hammer and a knife after reporting on medical negligence. The attackers were reportedly the brother and associates of a clinic owner. Three fellow journalists who tried to help him were also injured.
On February 5, in the Supreme Court premises, ATN News journalist Javed Akhtar and other journalists were assaulted.
On February 6, several journalists, including Mohammad Omar Faruq from Independent24 TV and Syed Mainul Ahsan Maruf from Ekattor TV, were harassed by protesters while covering the vandalism of a museum associated with Sheikh Hasina’s family in Dhaka. The police did not intervene in the incident.
Additionally, on February 9, RSF reported that six journalists were attacked by the police while covering a student protest in Dhaka.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has identified these incidents as an alarming rise in violence against the media. The organization has urged the authorities to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice and to ensure the safety of journalists.