The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has directly appealed to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to immediately release four journalists languishing in prison on what it calls “apparently baseless” murder charges, amid a broader crisis of media suppression that has drawn international condemnation.
The letter, released ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10, paints a grim picture of deteriorating press freedoms in a nation that once aspired to democratic renewal following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
The CPJ’s missive, addressed personally to Yunus, highlights the plight of Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, Mozammel Haque Babu, and Shyamal Duttaโall detained since September 2024 on accusations tied to the deadly July-August protests that toppled Hasina’s Awami League government.
These charges, the group asserts, lack credible evidence and stem from the journalists’ reporting or perceived affiliations with the ousted regime. “Bangladesh currently holds four journalists in prison on murder chargesโaccusations that lack credible evidence and appear to be in retaliation for their reporting and perceived political affiliations,” the letter states.
Yunus faces backlash over partisan TV licensing amid press freedom crackdown
Banglavision TV reveals brutality by Adviser Asif Mahmudโs reckless father
5G project: How Yunus aide Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb is robbing BTCL
Conditions at Kashimpur Prison in Gazipur district, where the journalists are held, are described as “deeply troubling,” with inmates confined to 36-square-foot cells barred by metal grates that expose them to harsh weather and insect infestations. Prisoners sleep on concrete floors without mattresses, receive substandard and often inedible food, and face severe medical neglectโincluding untreated cases of cancer, diabetes, cardiac issues, and sleep apneaโas no permanent doctor is available and routine care depends on family-supplied medications. Bail petitions have been repeatedly denied, and even their lawyer, ZI Khan Panna, has been slapped with similar murder charges.
CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Director, Beh Lih Yi, urged Yunus to use Human Rights Day as a turning point: “We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day by taking steps that would allow all journalists imprisoned in Bangladesh to return to their families and resume work.” The organisation invoked Bangladesh’s constitutional protections under Article 39 for freedom of expression, as well as its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, warning that the detentions undermine the judiciary’s own recognition of an independent press as vital to democracy.
Rights groups report a 230% surge in attacks on journalists since then, with 878 media workers targeted between August 2024 and July 2025, according to the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG). In the first eight months alone, 640 journalists faced harassment, a figure RRAG Director Suhas Chakma called “the worst press crackdown in Bangladeshโs history,” creating an “atmosphere of fear” where critical reporting on the government or the Awami League is impossible.
The interim government’s vows of a “corruption-free, non-partisan system” have rung hollow, critics say. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), lamented that authorities bypassed the Media Reform Commission’s recommendations for fair, transparent licensingโincluding an independent Media Commissionโopting instead to favour politically connected outlets. Commission head Kamal Ahmed decried this as a “continuation of authoritarian practices,” fueling accusations of hypocrisy while dissenting voices are silenced.
NCP chief Nahidโs aide among 5 arrested for extortion
Exiled journo Probir Sarker warns of mobocracy crushing Bangladesh media
False cases have proliferated: Over 292 journalists have been implicated in wholesale criminal probes since August 2024, including charges of murder, genocide, and crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 protests. At least 39 have been arrested, with 13 still imprisoned as of mid-2025, enduring prolonged remands without bail. Beyond the CPJ-highlighted quartet, notable detainees include veteran journalist Shahriar Kabir, arrested under anti-terrorism laws for discussing the 1971 Liberation War, and editors like Shyamal Dutta of *Bhorer Kagoj*, whose outlet was delisted in April 2025 amid attempts by BNP-backed journalists to seize control.
Sheikh Hasina reveals Yunus empire, built on ill-gotten money
Ex-secretary: 8 advisers of Yunus government engaged in massive corruption
Yunus-aide TIB concerned over rising corruption, mob violence
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has branded these “outrageous charges” and a “spiral of revenge,” calling on Yunus to review cases and end reprisals. CPJ echoes this, labelling the detentions “apparently baseless” retaliation against those seen as pro-Awami League. At least 10 journalists have been killed since the regime change, including Khandaker Shah Alam in June 2025, underscoring the lethal risks.
Punitive measures extend further. The Press Information Department revoked accreditations for over 285 journalists by early 2025โmostly those perceived as Awami League sympathisersโbarring them from official events and fostering what RSF calls “incomprehensible” self-censorship. TIB termed it an “indicator of an anti-people authoritarian regime.” Over 1,000 journalists have lost jobs or resigned under pressure, 83 press club memberships have been revoked, and media houses have been forcibly overtaken. Financial coercion includes freezing 18 journalists’ bank accounts and probing 107 via the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unitโtactics unseen under Hasina. Travel bans hit over 300, while 431 endured physical threats or violence.
Mob violence has compounded the assault, with over 50 attacks on media offices since August 2024, often with authorities standing idle. Post-Hasina, outlets like ATN Bangla, Ekattor TV, and Independent Television were looted and vandalised, halting broadcasts. In November 2024, *Prothom Alo* and *The Daily Star* faced coordinated mob storms in Dhaka and beyond over “anti-Islamic” claims, injuring dozens. RRAG documented 74 such incidents, including the ransacking of *Kaler Kantho* and Radio Capital, damaging 25 vehicles. The Newspaper Ownersโ Association slammed this as “mob justice,” demanding that Yunus intervene for media safety.
Expatriate journalists’ groups decry a “systematic persecution,” with cases like the dismissals of Rahman Mizan and Fazle Rabbi after probing officials exemplifying the “chilling effect.” Proposed legislation, such as the Cyber Protection Ordinance 2025, threatens to further muzzle online dissent, violating international standards, per Article 19.
Press Club of India slams Yunusโ press secretary, demands apology
Press Freedom Under Siege: Anis Alamgir slams Yunus regimeโs injustice
Bibhuranjan Sarker dies a tragic death, exposes state of press freedom
The CPJ letter notes Yunus’ own words in an interview with The Daily Star in November 2024, where he admitted murder cases against journalists were “hastily filed” and claimed his government had halted them via a review committeeโyet fresh charges followed. Backed by over 1,500 journalists from 100+ countries at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia, CPJ demands Yunus’ “personal intervention” to signal “humane governance.”
English 
Bengali