Dhaka, Dec 23: Bangladesh’s leading media editors have warned that escalating threats against journalists have turned into a “fight for survival,” following a wave of mob violence targeting major news organisations after the killing of a prominent youth leader.
The warning comes amid heightened tensions triggered by the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, a key figure in the 2024 student-led uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka while launching his campaign for the February parliamentary election. He later died on December 18 in a Singapore hospital.
His killing sparked widespread protests across the country, some of which escalated into arson and vandalism, with media houses and cultural institutions coming under attack. Offices of leading newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo were among those targeted.
Protesters accused the outlets of “serving the interests of India and Sheikh Hasina,” claims that editors have categorically denied.
Sheikh Hasina fled to India following her removal from office and remains in New Delhi, despite the Bangladeshi government formally seeking her extradition.
Speaking at a protest organised by the Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh, The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said journalists were facing “explicit death threats.”
Editors warned that the attacks represent a direct assault on press freedom, cautioning that continued violence and intimidation could severely undermine democratic space and independent journalism in Bangladesh.
