On 22 August 2025, the Meghna River in Munshiganj District claimed the body of Bibhu Ranjan Sarkar, 71, Senior Assistant Editor of Ajker Patrika, a veteran journalist whose final note eerily anticipated the relentless threats confronting those who dare speak truth in Bangladesh.
A day earlier, he emailed bdnews24.com his “final writing”, stating: “Speaking truth means risking life… Media executives live in fear waiting for a call demanding a story be taken down. For days, I’ve heard an ominous call. My mind is restless.”
Sarkar’s death exemplifies the lethal environment confronting media professionals in Bangladesh following the forced ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 and the emergence of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, marked by political volatility, emboldened extremists, and systematic assaults on independent reporting.
The past year has witnessed a surge in violence against journalists.
On 7 August 2025, Asaduzzaman Tuhin, 40, staff reporter for Pratidiner Kagoj, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants at a crowded market in Chandana Chowrasta, Gazipur.
Editor Khairul Alam Rafiq described Tuhin as a “dedicated journalist whose commitment to truth cost him his life.”
On 9 August, Alormoni’s Executive Editor Helal Hossain Kabir and his mother were violently assaulted in Lalmonirhat District.
On 6 August, Bangladesher Alo reporter Anwar Hossain Sourav, 35, was attacked by extortionists reportedly in the presence of police in Gazipur.
On 25 June, Matri Jagat correspondent Shah Alam Khandaker was kidnapped and killed in Brahmanbaria; local residents detained the perpetrator and handed him to authorities.
On 15 May, Somoy TV journalist Bahar Raihan was punched and stabbed during a Chhatra Dal-led protest in Comilla.
These six incidents—including three fatalities and three assaults—represent only a fraction of the pervasive threats confronting journalists across Bangladesh.
Journalists also face systematic legal and financial intimidation.
By May 2025, 266 journalists were implicated in cases linked to the unrest of July–August 2024, with Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chittagong registering the highest numbers.
Other affected districts include Narayanganj, Kushtia, Brahmanbaria, Bogura, Cox’s Bazar, and multiple southern districts where journalists faced murder charges or prosecution related to the 2024 violence.
Nearly 50 media organisations, including Bangladesh Pratidin, Kaler Kantha, Samakal, Amder Somoy, Dainik Bangla, Daily Sun, Ittefaq, and Ekattor TV, were impacted.
In October 2024, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) summoned 85 senior journalists to provide bank accounts, lockers, and financial transaction records, widely perceived as a coercive tactic to suppress investigative reporting.
Extremist groups have further imperilled media freedom, often with tacit government tolerance.
On 2 May 2025, Hefazat-e-Islam leaders demanded media reforms, threatening punitive action against content deemed offensive.
On 5 February, Hasnat Abdullah, convenor of Students Against Discrimination, warned outlets against broadcasting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s speeches, labeling her the “Butcher of this Motherland.”
On 1 August 2025, Anwar Hossain, a reporter for the local daily Dabanol, reported receiving threats from supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami after publishing critical reports about a local party leader.
Former extremists now occupy senior government positions, intensifying risks for journalists.
Nasimul Gani, founder of militant Hizb-ut-Tahrir, is Home Secretary; Mahfuz Alam, formerly linked to HuT, serves as Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; A.F.M. Khalid Hossain, ex-Hefazat vice-president, is Adviser for Religious Affairs.
Convicted militants, including Shafiur Rahman Farabi, sentenced to life for the 2015 murder of US-based blogger Avijit Roy, and Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team, have been released, while courts overturned convictions against 41 leaders of JeI-ICS and other Hefazat members, emboldening radical networks.
Brigadier General Syed Muhammad Motahar Hussain disclosed in April 2025 that over 300 individuals involved in militant activities had been released on bail.
Heightened security operations have failed to stem violence.
Between 6:00 am on 3 August and 6:00 am on 4 August, police arrested 593 individuals, recovering firearms, cartridges, and locally made weapons.
Joint army-police operations between 29 May and 5 June detained 384 suspects and recovered illegal arms, explosives, narcotics, stolen motorcycles, mobile phones, and cash.
Despite these actions, attacks on journalists continue unabated, often in plain sight of authorities, reflecting systemic impunity and institutional failure.
From January to June 2025, the Human Rights Support Society documented 257 journalists subjected to harassment, assault, or threats in 152 incidents, leaving 111 injured.
Reporters Without Borders reported a sharp increase in attacks from February 2025.
Families of journalists live in constant fear, while newsrooms increasingly self-censor.
Sarkar’s final words—“Speaking truth means risking life”—serve as both epitaph and warning, emblematic of a profession under existential threat.
“Under the Yunus regime, the relentless persecution of journalists lays bare the precariousness of press freedom, exposes the systemic decay of democratic institutions, and unveils a lethal nexus of political volatility, militant extremism, and institutionalized legal intimidation in Bangladesh,” said a senior journalist from Dhaka, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Source : The Chittagong Hill Tracts
