Press freedom at stake in Bangladesh: Top editors cite social media posts calling for murder of journalists

Months ahead of Bangladesh’s general elections, the country's media is facing a challenging period, with freedom of expression increasingly overshadowed by concerns over journalists’ “right to stay alive,” editors of several leading Bangladeshi newspapers have said, as reported by PTI.

Bangladeshi journalists are getting death threats

Daily Star editor and publisher Mahfuz Anam also pointed to social media posts that allegedly called for journalists from the dailies ‘Prothom Alo’ and 'The Daily Star' to be tracked down and killed at their homes.

The remarks came on Monday in the wake of mobs vandalising and setting ablaze the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star newspapers in Dhaka on Thursday night, trapping several journalists and staff inside for hours as police and fire services were initially prevented from reaching the spot, PTI reported.

"Freedom of expression is no longer the main issue. Now it is about the right to stay alive," Anam said at a press conference attended by senior politicians, business leaders and media owners, PTI reported.

“The media in Bangladesh is facing a fight for survival,” he said.

Anam said the attacks were aimed at killing journalists and staff rather than being acts of protest against specific newspapers.

Otherwise, the mob would have told journalists to leave before setting the buildings on fire, he said.

Instead, 26-27 media workers were trapped on the rooftop of The Daily Star building while the fire brigade was not allowed to reach them, Anam said.

He also cited social media messages allegedly calling for journalists of the two dailies to be hunted down and killed at their homes.

Here's what police said

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) defended its delayed intervention, saying immediate action could have worsened the situation.

"The reason we could not go into action there was to ensure that no human life was lost,” DMP Additional Commissioner Nazrul Islam told reporters.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has said nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks on the offices of the two newspapers and cultural organisations Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, following the death of radical right-wing youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

The newspapers were accused by the attackers of "serving the interests" of India and the deposed prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

A staunch India critic, 32-year-old Hadi was a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising that ousted Hasina’s Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

The 32-year-old Inqilab Mancha spokesperson died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on Thursday last week. Hadi was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.

While the interim government condemned the attacks, it described the perpetrators as fringe elements, drawing criticism from rights groups and journalists who said authorities failed to prevent the violence despite appeals for protection.

World Press Freedom Index

Bangladesh ranks 149th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2025 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), showing a slight climb from previous years but still in the “very serious” category, with significant recent concerns over intense journalist attacks, legal threats like the Cyber Security Act, and ongoing intimidation under the interim government.

Bangladesh under the Yunus regime

Bangladesh is undergoing a fragile political transition under Muhammad Yunus, aimed at restoring democracy through the upcoming elections. However, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, has long dominated the government and remains one of the country’s two main political forces.

The other major party is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Hasina’s longtime rival and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, which is hoping to form the next government.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami—the country's largest Islamist party, known for its controversial role during the 1971 independence war—is heading an alliance seeking to expand its political influence amid the absence of Hasina’s party and its allies.