TDS Desk:

Alongside extortion and other criminal activities, journalists in Bangladesh are facing grave dangers while exposing corruption by powerful individuals. At every step, they encounter obstacles in revealing the truth. Criminals frequently threaten to kill them, and in some cases, journalists are summoned by authorities after publishing reports on corruption involving police officers or other government employees.

If they refuse to bow to criminal demands, many journalists are brutally murdered. The hacking and throat-slitting murder of journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin in Gazipur last Thursday night has sparked outrage across the country. Protest rallies were held yesterday in various locations.

496 JOURNALISTS HARASSED IN ONE YEAR

According to a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report, from August 2024 to July this year, 496 journalists faced harassment. The data was released on August 4 at a press conference at TIB’s Dhanmondi office, in a report titled “One Year After the Fall of an Authoritarian Regime: Expectations and Realities.”

Reports from other NGOs show that in just seven months, 274 journalists were injured while on professional duty due to obstruction or assaults. TIB’s findings indicate that three journalists were killed on duty during this period—but the murder of Tuhin after the report’s release has raised that number to four. TIB noted that even under the interim government, press freedom has not been ensured.

274 ATTACKS IN SEVEN MONTHS

Various organizations report that between January and July this year, 274 attacks left 126 journalists injured. From August to December last year, 165 incidents injured 95 journalists. In March, a female journalist in Dhaka was gang-raped while gathering news.

Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) and Odhikar report that from January to June, 20 journalists were publicly humiliated, 34 received threats, and 10 were arrested. In the same period, 22 cases implicated 92 journalists. Under the Cyber Security Act 2023, at least 16 cases were filed, leading to 12 arrests and charges against 23 journalists. In July alone, there were at least 17 attacks affecting 27 journalists, with 15 injured, five threatened, and five humiliated.

Odhikar’s data shows that from August 9, 2024, to June this year, 165 journalists were attacked or harassed—95 injured, 32 humiliated, 5 physically attacked, 22 threatened, and 11 named in cases.

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), from January to June this year, there were 196 incidents of violence, lawsuits, and persecution against journalists. These include the assault on Daily Jay Jay Din reporter Moniruzzaman in Pabna Sadar, and the October attack on Daily Kalbela reporter Jahangir Mahmud in Rupganj, who was bludgeoned with bricks in an attempted murder.

OTHER MURDER CASES

Police and family sources say that on October 10 last year, Deepto TV broadcast officer Tanzil Jahan Tamim was beaten to death in his home. On October 12, in Mymensingh Sadar, Tarakanda Press Club vice president Swapan Kumar Bhodro was hacked to death in front of his house. On August 27 last year, the body of journalist Rahnuma Sarah was recovered from Hatirjheel.

Journalists have reported death threats from political leaders, municipal mayors, brickfield owners, and anonymous callers, as well as from union and upazila chairmen, students, and ward councilors. Over the years, journalists have endured abduction, torture, and bomb attacks by criminals, and in some cases abuse and threats from members of law enforcement agencies themselves.

JOURNALIST SUMMONED OVER BRIBERY REPORT

Bangla Tribune’s Rupganj correspondent Likhan Raj was summoned by the Narayanganj Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) after publishing an investigative report on bribery. According to the letter he received, signed by PBI Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Mostafa Kamal Rashed on August 4, he must appear within two working days “for the sake of a fair and impartial investigation” to answer questions about his information sources.

The PBI said they wanted to know how he gathered the information, who his sources were, and whether they were reliable. The report, published on August 3, alleged that PBI Narayanganj Sub-Inspector Hafizur Rahman demanded a Tk 50,000 bribe from a case plaintiff. A related phone call went viral on Facebook on August 2, sparking national outrage. Hafizur was suspended by PBI headquarters on August 3, though the media was informed of this only on August 4.

POLICE RESPONSE

Additional Deputy Inspector General (Special Crime) Md. Ashik Saeed told journalist “We are making every effort to control crime. Whenever an incident occurs, we investigate and take legal action. The investigation into Tuhin’s murder is ongoing, and those involved will be arrested and prosecuted.”

RIGHTS GROUPS AND NOAB CONCERNS

HRSS Executive Director Ejazul Islam called Tuhin’s murder “a direct attack on press freedom, freedom of expression, and journalist safety in Bangladesh.”

The Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) also expressed deep concern last Thursday. In a statement signed by President AK Azad, NOAB said the TIB report’s findings on press freedom were disheartening. They noted that after the people’s uprising, there had been hopes for a free, fair, and democratic society where information and press freedoms would be guaranteed. Unfortunately, those hopes have not been fulfilled over the past year. NOAB urged an end to the culture of mob intimidation of media owners, and stressed that ensuring press freedom and safety is essential to strengthening the foundations of a democratic state.