Journalists in Bangladesh face continuous attacks, judicial harassment: International Press Institute

Photo: IPI

Journalists in Bangladesh continue to work in a hostile environment, frequently facing threats and physical attacks as well as judicial and legal harassment, said a new report by the International Press Institute (IPI).

"IPI documented at least 42 press freedom threats or violations during this six-month period, half of which were reported cases of physical, verbal, or online attacks against journalists. In multiple cases, journalists were assaulted while reporting on the news or at political rallies ahead of Bangladesh's 2023 parliamentary elections," said the IPI report titled "Bangladesh: Journalists face continuing attacks, judicial harassment," released on Wednesday (31 May). 

The report also said in some cases, journalists were directly targeted in retaliation for publishing stories on government officials.

"In December 2022, a journalist was abducted, threatened at gunpoint, and beaten at a local government office in the Rangunia region of Chittagong for his reporting on illegally operating brick kilns. In March 2023, the brother of an investigative journalist was brutally beaten with iron rods by a group of unknown men outside his home," the report stated. 

The report further said: "Independent media are silenced under a series of laws, which include the Digital Security Act (DSA), the criminal code, and the colonial-era Official Secrets Act."

It also added at least 9 journalists in Bangladesh have been charged under the DSA. 

IPI deemed the DSA as "a draconian and broadly-worded law that has been deployed since 2018 to punish and jail hundreds of journalists in retaliation for reporting critical news."