{"id":3323,"date":"2025-09-06T20:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T14:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=3323"},"modified":"2025-09-06T20:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T14:18:44","slug":"european-times-how-yunus-is-building-a-taliban-style-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=3323","title":{"rendered":"European Times: How Yunus is building a Taliban-style regime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Turkey\u2019s Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan is infamous<\/a> for turning<\/a> his country into one of the world\u2019s largest<\/a> prisons for journalists. Today, Bangladesh \u2013 once celebrated as a rising democracy \u2013 is following<\/a> the same path under the unelected, military-backed rule of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Since an Islamist-backed coup in 2024 brought Yunus to power, the country has witnessed an alarming surge in arrests, attacks, and intimidation of journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not just a Bangladeshi problem. It is a crisis with far-reaching consequences for democracy, press freedom, and regional security. If left unchecked, Bangladesh could become the next Taliban-style state, destabilising South Asia and threatening US and Indian strategic interests, according to an article by the European Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalists under siege<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the International Journalists\u2019 Network<\/a>, more than 350 journalists have been harassed, 74 assaulted, and over 100 charged under fabricated<\/a> cases since Yunus took power. Press credentials have been revoked for at least 167 reporters. These figures represent not isolated incidents, but a systematic effort to crush independent journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awami League stuns with three processions in Dhaka Friday<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unprecedented: Extremists dig out corpse of Nural Pagol, burn it on the highway<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mob Attacks Shrine With Police Help: Pir Azizur Rahman Bhandari forgives perpetrators<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government<\/a> dismisses<\/a> these findings<\/a> as \u201cmisinformation\u201d. Yet the evidence is overwhelming. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) coordinator Beh Lih Yi warned: \u201cThese assaults on press freedom must end. They create a chilling effect on the media\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chilling effect is precisely the point. By criminalising reporters, Yunus\u2019s regime is dismantling one of democracy\u2019s most essential safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Case of Monjurul Alam Panna<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ordeal of journalist Monjurul Alam Panna shows the brutality of this repression. On August 28, 2025, he was arrested<\/a> during a discussion on Bangladesh\u2019s constitution at the Dhaka Reporters Unity. A day later, he was brought<\/a> to court in a bulletproof vest and helmet, as though he were a terrorist. On September 4, shocking images surfaced<\/a> of police choking him inside the courtroom itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International media groups, legal experts, and human rights defenders have condemned<\/a> the charges against Panna as fabricated. Yet he remains behind bars, a chilling reminder to every journalist of the price of dissent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremists thrive in the shadows<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While journalists are jailed, Islamist extremists are emboldened. Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladeshi affiliate of Al-Qaeda, openly justifies<\/a> the killing of secular bloggers. In July, Islami Andolan Bangladesh declared<\/a> its intention<\/a> to model the nation after Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Yunus\u2019s political ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, continues to push for the same vision, ensuring that Islamist forces remain at the heart of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European rights bodies condemn mob violence, judicial abuse in Bangladesh<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awami League condemns acquittal of convicts in August 21 grenade attack case<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paradox \u2013 silencing journalists while tolerating extremists \u2013 exposes the regime\u2019s true agenda: consolidating power by dismantling democracy and enabling radicalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global stakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crackdown has drawn condemnation<\/a> from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, PEN America, and others, who warn that Bangladesh\u2019s history of repressing<\/a> free expression is reaching<\/a> a dangerous peak. But the silence of the world\u2019s leading democracies is striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the United States, this is not simply a moral issue. Bangladesh is strategically positioned at the Bay of Bengal, a key front in the Indo-Pacific competition. If it descends into Islamist authoritarianism, Washington\u2019s regional strategy will be gravely undermined. Bangladesh could become a safe haven for extremists with transnational ambitions, destabilising South Asia and endangering US interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For India, the risks are immediate. Bangladesh\u2019s long border with northeastern India has historically been exploited by militants. A Taliban-modelled Dhaka would open new channels for extremism, threatening Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura. Decades of Indian investment in connectivity, trade, and counterterrorism cooperation would collapse under the weight of an Islamist resurgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fate of Bangladesh is therefore not an isolated national crisis \u2013 it is a direct threat to the stability of South Asia and to US-India strategic interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democracy at the breaking point<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yunus has promised<\/a> elections in February 2026, but his Islamist allies are already signalling their intention to sabotage<\/a> them. With the press silenced, there is little hope of a free and fair vote. Democracy in Bangladesh is on life support, and its survival depends on international action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the current trajectory continues, Bangladesh risks becoming another Afghanistan: a country where journalists are criminalised, extremism flourishes, and democracy disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world must not remain silent as Muhammad Yunus turns Bangladesh into a prison for journalists and a breeding ground for extremism. Every day that Monjurul Alam Panna and his colleagues remain behind bars, democracy in Bangladesh slips further away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States, India, and the broader democratic world must act now \u2013 by pressuring Dhaka, defending press freedom, and standing with those risking their lives for truth. Journalism is not a crime, and journalists are not criminals. If the world fails to act, Bangladesh\u2019s descent into darkness will not stop at its borders. It will destabilise an entire region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Turkey\u2019s Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan is infamous for turning his country into one of the world\u2019s largest prisons for journalists. Today, Bangladesh \u2013 once celebrated as a rising democracy \u2013 is following the same path under the unelected, military-backed… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,646,20,42],"tags":[263,563,77,76,50,71,54,495,65,56,85,272,63,64],"class_list":["post-3323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-culture","category-news","category-politics","tag-1971-liberation-war","tag-1971-war-crimes","tag-awami-league","tag-extremism","tag-interim-government","tag-islami-chhatra-shibir","tag-jamaat-e-islami","tag-jihad","tag-mobocracy","tag-muhammad-yunus","tag-national-citizen-party-ncp","tag-press-freedom","tag-sheikh-hasina","tag-yunus-gang"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3323"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3325,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3323\/revisions\/3325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}