We have entered an 'era of murder,' says Mahfuz Anam
The Daily Star editor described the attack as murderous and not a random incident
Bangladesh has entered an "era of murder" where the right to free expression is gravely endangered, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam said today (22 December).
Speaking at a protest meeting against mob violence organised by the Editors' Council at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, Mahfuz Anam the recent arson attack on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo was a deliberate attempt to take lives rather than an act of vandalism.
"This was not a coincidence. This was murderous," he said, referring to a video circulating on social media in which attackers were allegedly heard saying they would go to the homes of journalists from The Daily Star and Prothom Alo and kill them.
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"I don't know if you have seen that video. But when people openly say they want to kill journalists, this cannot be dismissed as an accident or a moment of rage," Anam told the audience.
Echoing remarks made by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the same event, Anam said journalists and civil society could no longer afford to merely react to such attacks.
He went on to say, "We cannot just react. We have to stand together and respond collectively. We have entered the era of murder. Freedom of expression is now far away; we have to demand the right to live first."
Describing the events during the arson attack, Anam said the attackers appeared intent not only on destroying property but also on causing loss of life.
He said that 26 to 27 staff members of The Daily Star were trapped on the rooftop of the building during the fire.
"Initially, I did not fully grasp the situation. If this were just about burning the building, they could have told our colleagues, 'You have nothing to do with this, get out.' Instead, they trapped them on the roof and did not allow the fire service to come close to control the blaze," he added.
"That shows they did not just want to set the building on fire. They wanted to kill the staff of The Daily Star."
The protest meeting was organised amid growing concern among journalists and editors over what they describe as an alarming rise in mob violence and direct threats against media professionals.
Addressing fellow editors, journalists, and representatives of civil society, Anam called for unity and solidarity in the face of escalating dangers.
"We are with you. And you must be with us. This is not about one newspaper or one newsroom – it is about the survival of journalism itself."
