Post-Hasina Bangladesh records 230% increase in attacks on journalists, says rights body

Bangladesh, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, recorded a 230% increase in attacks on journalists, a New Delhi-based rights group said in its report released on Monday (August 4, 2025).

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

The RRAG said that the number of criminal cases against journalists increased by 558% from 35 cases during 2023-2024 to 195 cases during the first year of Dr. Yunus as the Chief Advisor.

“While the Hasina regime was not known to have denied any accreditation to journalists, Dr. Yunus used accreditation as an instrument to punish the journalists allegedly associated with the previous regime and denied accreditation to 167 of them,” RRAG director Suhas Chakma said.

“Unlike the Hasina regime, the interim government under Dr. Yunus let loose the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the country’s anti-money laundering agency, against 107 journalists. Finally, while 348 journalists faced acts of violence and criminal intimidation under Sheikh Hasina’s regime, mostly during the July 2024 uprising, 431 journalists faced acts of violence and criminal intimidation under Dr. Yunus,” he said.

The RRAG listed a few cases of murder of journalists this year. They included Khandaker Shah Alam, a correspondent of Daily Matrijagat, killed in a targeted retaliation on June 25 after he was released from prison. The report cited the arrest warrant against three journalists of Bangladesh Pratidin under the Digital Security Act on July 27, despite Asif Nazrul, the Law Advisor to the government, declaring that all cases under the Act had been withdrawn.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 death of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu, which was picked up by multiple Indian media outlets and flagged by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Mr. Chakma said Dr. Yunus established the ‘CA Press Wing Facts’, a de facto censorship authority, to “manufacture the government version of truth and intimidate the media houses and NGOs through disinformation”.

The RRAG report stated that a part of the £474,468 provided by the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office to strengthen the office of Dr Yunus was used to support the CA Press Wing Facts.

The group said Britain should review its support to the interim government of Bangladesh on governance issues and consider withdrawing bilateral support in the light of the silencing of the media in the country.