Political violence, harassment on journos continue to rise ahead of polls: ASK

With the national elections just two days away, the trend of political violence and harassment of journalists shows no sign of abating, rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said today (10 February).

Based on data from its documentation unit, ASK reported that in the last 10 days of January (21–31 January), 4 were killed and 414 injured in 49 clashes across the country. The first 10 days of February (1–10 February) saw 2 deaths and 489 injuries in 58 incidents of violence.  

A closer look at January shows a sharp escalation: the first 10 days recorded 8 incidents, leaving people 5 dead and 26 injured. Between 11 and 20 January, there were 18 incidents with 176 injuries and 2 deaths. By 21–31 January, the number of clashes surged to 49, resulting in 414 injuries and 4 deaths, reflecting a worrying upward trend.  

Rising harassment of journalists

ASK's analysis also highlights a spike in attacks on journalists. In December last year, 11 journalists were attacked while on duty; this rose to 16 in January. Alarmingly, in the first 10 days of February alone, 47 journalists were assaulted. 

The rights group noted that 21 journalists from the online news portal Bangladesh Times were "picked up" from their workplace and taken to an army camp on 7 February, though they were released after around two hours.

"Political violence is intensifying as elections approach, and attacks on journalists are increasing in parallel," ASK noted.

The organisation expressed concern over the continuing rise in both political violence and harassment of the media workers.
ASK urged all parties to respect the law and human rights, citing Article 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty for every citizen.

It also expressed hope that voters would be able to exercise their rights safely and without obstruction in the upcoming national elections.