Bangladesh: Press freedom critical for resurrection of Bangladesh’s democracy

Journalist unions unified today with a joint call to Bangladesh's incoming political leaders to respect and restore press freedom in the country following its much-anticipated national election tomorrow. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Federation of Asia-Pacific Journalists (FAPaJ), and the South Asia Journalists Federation (SAJF) said there can be no resurrection of democracy in the country while journalists remained under threat.

Women activists holding placards shout slogans during a protest outside the Election Commission building in Dhaka on February 8, 2026. Credit: Munir Uz Zaman / AFP

The IFJ and its affiliates' call for serious reform in Bangladesh follows a dire period for media in the country after 17 years of iron fist rule under the now exiled dictator Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party. Tomorrow's election is being touted as the first 'free and fair' poll in at least a decade, but concerns remain at what the future democracy might look like in the 91% Muslim country of 127 million people with a chequered history with secularism and a violent and murderous history of attacks and intimidation of an often highly politically polarised media. Hasina's Awami League is barred from contesting in the election.

Despite the hopes of the 2024 dramatic mass student uprising in July 2024, which claimed the lives of up to 1,400 Bangladesh citizens, persecution of the country's media has not abated. Since then, the IFJ has documented the systematic targeting of journalists through physical violence, legal harassment, intimidation, and other state controls - imposed during the past 18 months under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Installed with firm promises of democratic reform, the interim administration's term has instead been marred by a campaign of hostility against media, particularly focused on journalists attempting to report on government policies, handling of post-uprising unrest, allegations of minority persecution, and economic mismanagement. According to data from the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation(MSF) and independent fact-checkers, more than 800 media workers have been targeted since Hasina's overthrow, including 465 instances of injury, threats and harassment, and at least 430 legal cases filed against media workers.

Since July 2024, at least seven journalist murders have also been verifiedby IFJ. A surge of other violent incidents against the nation's media included vandalism and arson attackson the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in December 2025, which temporarily suspended publication at both outlets for the first time since their establishment. More recently, on January 26, 2026, 10 members of the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh were allegedly assaultedin the city of Narsingdi.

On January 28, 2026, nearly a year following the submission of the Bangladesh Media Reform Commission's (MRC) recommendations to strengthen the nation's media, the interim government abruptly releaseda draft ordinance to establish a National Media Commission, allowing only three days for public feedback and disregarding many of the MRC's findings. The proposed Media Commission has been condemnedby international media freedom organisations for violating Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and excludes freelance journalists, among other issues. The commission would operate under direct state control rather than the international expected standard of an independently appointed body.

Bangladesh's media today remains a key target of the country's anti-terrorism legislation, which permitsthe indefinite detention without judicial warrant, custodial interrogation extending to 24 days, and convictions carrying life sentences. Since late 2025, prominent journalists including Anis Alamgirand Shaukat Mahmoodhave been detained or remanded under the Anti-Terrorism Act for alleged 'propaganda' and 'conspiracy', a trend Amnesty International saysis a direct violation of international human rights obligations.

IFJ fact checks from inside Bangladesh have also documented a significant expansion of institutional gatekeeping intended to restrict the media's ability to function as a democratic watchdog. In February, security personnel at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) barred Daily Star journalists from reporting on an open-court hearing regarding enforced disappearances involving the Rapid Action Battalion, despite judicial orders to maintain an open trial. This follows a large-scale data breachon January 31, 2026, within the Election Commission's mandatory online accreditation system, which leaked the private National ID details, home addresses, and signatures of an estimated 14,000 journalists. According to IFJ fact-checkers in late 2025, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) was actively investigating the financial information of at least 85 journalists since the overthrow of the Hasina regime, with the accounts of 10 journalists frozen, including those of the Dhaka Journalists Union (DUJ).

In joining with the IFJ, the SAJF said self-censorship by journalists was rampant, with critical reporting on the interim leaders' alleged ties to extremist groups or economic mismanagement inviting swift retribution. It noted with concern that the pre-election period has been marked by repeated incidents of violence, intimidation, arrests and legal harassment, and targeting of journalists and media workers, creating a climate of fear and that undermines the essential role of the media in a democratic society.

A December 2025 study by Digitally Right found that 89 per cent of Bangladesh's journalists feared physical assault during pre-election reporting, with verbal harassment and intimidation also reported as major risks. More than half of female journalists in the study feared sexual harassment while reporting, a situation exacerbated by the Election Commission's failure to establish clear safety protocols for reporting from polling stations.

The national election and constitutional referendum on February 12 will be a critical turning point for Bangladesh's democratic transition with wider implicationsfor South Asia ahead of elections in Nepal and the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which is leading in the polls, has only 5% women among its candidates, while the previously oppressed Jamaat e-Islami Islamist party has zero women candidates. The National Citizen party (NCP), formed by the student leaders who toppled Hasina and positioned itself as a party of progress, announced in December it would join with the Jamaat e-Islami alliance in the election. It is fielding just two female candidates.

The SAJF said: "SAJF stands in solidarity with journalists in Bangladesh and reaffirms its commitment to defending press freedom and the rights of media workers across the region. The Federation will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with its partners, including the IFJ, to support efforts that promote a safe and enabling environment for journalism."

The IFJ said: "The IFJ, FAPaJ, and SAJF stand in firm solidarity with Bangladesh's media today, tomorrow and beyond. We call on all politicians to unify in a strong political community to reform democracy and take urgent and long needed action to safeguard critical and independent journalism, the right to freedom of expression, and access to information. A transition to a functioning democracy is impossible if the media is treated as an enemy of the state and journalists remain jailed. The time is now."

The Federation of Asia Pacific Journalists (FAPaJ) is the IFJ regional group representating the five sub-regions of the Asia-Pacific: Pacific, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Southern Asia and Central Asia.