Bangladeshi journalists say right to life at stake as mobs target media

Bangladesh's media is facing a difficult time and the freedom of expression has been overtaken by concerns over journalists' "right to stay alive", editors of several leading Bangladeshi newspapers have said.

The remarks came on Monday in the wake of mobs vandalising and setting ablaze the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star newspapers in Dhaka on Thursday night, trapping several journalists and staff inside for hours as police and fire services were initially prevented from reaching the spot.

"Freedom of expression is no longer the main issue. Now it is about the right to stay alive," Daily Star editor and publisher Mahfuz Anam said at a press conference attended by senior politicians, business leaders and media owners.

The media in Bangladesh is facing a fight for survival, he said.

Anam said the attacks were aimed at killing journalists and staff rather than being acts of protest against specific newspapers.

Otherwise, the mob would have told journalists to leave before setting the buildings on fire, he said.

Instead, 26-27 media workers were trapped on the rooftop of The Daily Star building while the fire brigade was not allowed to reach them, Anam said.

He also cited social media messages allegedly calling for journalists of the two dailies to be hunted down and killed at their homes.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) defended its delayed intervention, saying immediate action could have worsened the situation.

"The reason we could not go into action there was to ensure that no human life was lost,” DMP Additional Commissioner Nazrul Islam told reporters.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has said nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks on the offices of the two newspapers and cultural organisations Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, following the death of radical right-wing youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

The newspapers were accused by the attackers of "serving the interests" of India and the deposed prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

A staunch India critic, 32-year-old Hadi was a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising that ousted Hasina’s Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

The 32-year-old Inqilab Mancha spokesperson died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on Thursday last week. Hadi was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.

While the interim government condemned the attacks, it described the perpetrators as fringe elements, drawing criticism from rights groups and journalists who said authorities failed to prevent the violence despite appeals for protection.