CPJ urges CA Yunus to free jailed journalists ahead of Human Rights Day
CPJ said that since the interim government took office on 8 August last year, fresh murder charges have been filed against all four imprisoned journalists and that bail has been repeatedly denied.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to urgently take steps to allow all journalists imprisoned in Bangladesh to return to their families and resume work.
They specifically mentioned cases of four Bangladeshi journalists imprisoned on what the group says are politically motivated murder charges.
In a letter addressed to Yunus ahead of International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the New York–based press freedom organisation said the accusations against the journalists "lack credible evidence" and appear to be reprisals for their reporting and alleged political leanings.
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The letter states, "The families of the journalists have described conditions at Kashimpur Prison that raise serious human rights concerns. They are being held in tiny 36-square-foot (3.34 square meters) cells with metal bars instead of doors, leaving them exposed to cold weather and mosquito infestations. They sleep on the concrete floor, without mattresses, and food supplied by the prison is insufficient and often inedible.
"Medical care is severely inadequate: the prison has no permanent doctor, routine tests are unobtainable, and prisoners receive no medication unless supplied by their families. Those with serious health conditions — including cancer, diabetes, cardiac issues, and sleep apnea — have gone months without treatment."
The letter also noted Yunus' comments in a November 2024 interview with The Daily Star, where he acknowledged that murder cases had been "hastily filed" against journalists under previous administrations and said his government had stopped such actions and formed a review committee.
However, CPJ said that since the interim government took office on 8 August last year, fresh murder charges have been filed against all four imprisoned journalists — Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, Mozammel Babu, and Shyamal Dutta — and that bail has been repeatedly denied. A lawyer representing several of the journalists, ZI Khan Panna, has also been named in a murder case.
CPJ emphasized that freedom of expression is guaranteed under Article 39 of Bangladesh's constitution and under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Bangladesh is a party.
The group urged the government to mark Human Rights Day by taking steps to free all imprisoned journalists, saying real reform requires "a decisive break from past practices." It also called on all political parties to respect press freedom as the country approaches national elections in February.
CPJ said its appeal is backed by more than 1,500 journalists from over 100 countries who joined a solidarity action at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia this year.
The letter concludes by requesting Yunus' personal intervention, saying it would demonstrate Bangladesh's commitment to humane governance, justice, and open public discourse.
