World Press Freedom Day Exposes Bangladesh’s Shame: 640 Journalists Under Siege

GG News Bureau

Dhaka 6 May 2025 -As the world marked  World Press Freedom Day 2025, the situation in Bangladesh presents a chilling warning: the collapse of press freedom can happen swiftly and systematically. Under the interim government of Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, Bangladesh has descended into one of the worst crackdowns on journalists in its history.

According to a newly released report, in just eight months, a shocking 640 journalists have been subjected to state harassment and attacks. This number is not just a statistic; it reflects the fear, violence, and suffocation that has engulfed Bangladesh’s once-vibrant media space.

A Breakdown of Repression: The Data Speaks

The details of the crackdown are staggering:

• 182 journalists have been slapped with criminal cases, often on fabricated or politically motivated charges.
• 206 journalists have faced violence, including physical attacks, abductions, and threats.
• 167 journalists have been denied official accreditation, cutting them off from professional access and resources.
• Bangladesh’s Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) have launched relentless investigations into media outlets and journalists, accusing them of money laundering, anti-state activities, and terrorist links.

These tactics are not random—they are part of a deliberate campaign to break the back of independent media and consolidate government control over public narratives.

The Fall of a Global Icon

Mohammad Yunus, once hailed worldwide as the architect of microfinance and the founder of Grameen Bank, came to political power promising reform, transparency, and democracy. But his interim government has betrayed those ideals. Instead of fostering an open society, Yunus has presided over the worst assault on civil liberties Bangladesh has seen in decades.

What makes this betrayal more striking is that Yunus built his global reputation on empowering the powerless. Today, under his rule, the very voices speaking truth to power—the journalists—are being crushed.

Criminalizing Journalism

The use of 182 criminal cases against journalists shows how the legal system has been weaponized. Reporters investigating corruption, human rights abuses, or political mismanagement are now routinely dragged into courtrooms, slapped with defamation, sedition, or even terrorism charges. The legal harassment is designed to drain journalists emotionally, financially, and professionally.

Meanwhile, 167 journalists denied accreditation lose access to critical government events, briefings, and public institutions. This exclusion effectively erases them from the formal media landscape and marginalizes their reporting.

The Spread of Violence

Even more alarming is the level of physical violence: 206 journalists have been targeted with beatings, attacks by political thugs, abductions, or coordinated mob assaults. Several reports document police complicity or inaction during these attacks, sending a clear message that the state tolerates or even encourages such violence.

The result is widespread self-censorship. Reporters avoid sensitive topics, editors spike important stories, and media houses shy away from investigations that could provoke government wrath.

Financial Chokehold: BFIU and CTTC Tactics

Bangladesh’s Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) have added another layer of repression. By launching money laundering and anti-terror probes into media outlets, the Yunus government is suffocating independent journalism financially. Banks freeze accounts, advertisers pull out, and media owners are forced to make painful cuts or shut down entirely.

This weaponization of financial oversight mirrors strategies used by authoritarian regimes globally. It allows the government to maintain a thin veneer of legality while ruthlessly silencing dissent.

International Silence, Regional Danger

One of the most troubling aspects of this crisis is the muted response from the international community. Bangladesh’s geopolitical importance, combined with Yunus’s personal reputation, has shielded the government from significant global criticism. Western governments eager to preserve trade and security ties have largely avoided public condemnation.

But this silence has a cost. Bangladesh’s neighboring countries are watching carefully. If Yunus’s government succeeds in crushing press freedom without consequence, it could embolden other governments in South Asia to follow similar paths.

Erosion of Democracy

At its core, this is not just a media crisis—it is a democratic crisis. A free press is the oxygen of democracy. Without it, corruption thrives, human rights violations go unchecked, and authoritarianism deepens.

The Yunus government’s attack on journalists is an attack on the right of Bangladeshi citizens to be informed, to debate, and to hold power accountable. It is a betrayal not just of democratic principles but of Bangladesh’s own proud tradition of civic activism.

The Courage to Resist

Despite the repression, signs of resistance persist. Independent journalists, bloggers, and underground media networks are finding creative ways to report on the crisis. But they cannot do it alone.

The international community—press freedom organizations, human rights groups, and democratic governments—must step up. Concrete action is needed: public condemnation, targeted sanctions against officials responsible for repression, and robust support for independent Bangladeshi media.

A Fight for the Soul of Bangladesh

As we reflect on World Press Freedom Day, the message from Bangladesh is urgent and clear. The fight for media freedom is a fight for the soul of the nation. Mohammad Yunus, once a beacon of social progress, now stands at the helm of a government dismantling the very freedoms he once symbolized.

The world must no longer look away. Silence is complicity—and the price of inaction will be paid not just by Bangladesh’s journalists, but by its people and its democracy.