Post-Hasina Bangladesh information 230% improve in assaults on journalists, says rights physique

Bangladesh, after the autumn of the Sheikh Hasina authorities, recorded a 230% improve in assaults on journalists, a New Delhi-based rights group mentioned in its report launched on Monday (August 4, 2025).

The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) acknowledged that press freedom in Bangladesh deteriorated underneath Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, with assaults on 878 journalists between August 2024 and July 2025, virtually 230% greater than the 383 journalists attacked from August 2023 to July 2024, when Ms. Hasina was the Prime Minister.

The RRAG mentioned that the variety of prison circumstances towards journalists elevated by 558% from 35 circumstances throughout 2023-2024 to 195 circumstances in the course of the first yr of Dr. Yunus because the Chief Advisor.

“While the Hasina regime was not identified to have denied any accreditation to journalists, Dr. Yunus used accreditation as an instrument to punish the journalists allegedly related to the earlier regime and denied accreditation to 167 of them,” RRAG director Suhas Chakma mentioned.

“Unlike the Hasina regime, the interim authorities underneath Dr. Yunus let free the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the nation’s anti-money laundering company, towards 107 journalists. Finally, whereas 348 journalists confronted acts of violence and prison intimidation underneath Sheikh Hasina’s regime, largely in the course of the July 2024 rebellion, 431 journalists confronted acts of violence and prison intimidation underneath Dr. Yunus,” he mentioned.

The RRAG listed a couple of circumstances of homicide of journalists this yr. They included Khandaker Shah Alam, a correspondent of Daily Matrijagat, killed in a focused retaliation on June 25 after he was launched from jail. The report cited the arrest warrant towards three journalists of Bangladesh Pratidin underneath the Digital Security Act on July 27, regardless of Asif Nazrul, the Law Advisor to the federal government, declaring that each one circumstances underneath the Act had been withdrawn.

Another case highlighted by the report is that of Konkon Karmakar, who was dismissed by The Daily Star on April 21 after he reported on the dying of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu, which was picked up by a number of Indian media retailers and flagged by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Mr. Chakma mentioned Dr. Yunus established the ‘CA Press Wing Facts’, a de facto censorship authority, to “manufacture the federal government model of reality and intimidate the media homes and NGOs by way of disinformation”.

The RRAG report acknowledged that part of the £474,468 offered by the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office to strengthen the workplace of Dr Yunus was used to assist the CA Press Wing Facts.

The group mentioned Britain ought to evaluate its assist to the interim authorities of Bangladesh on governance points and contemplate withdrawing bilateral assist within the gentle of the silencing of the media within the nation.