Dhaka, Dec 23 (PTI) Editors of leading Bangladeshi newspapers have warned that the country’s media is no longer fighting for freedom of expression but for journalists’ “right to stay alive”, following violent mob attacks on major news organisations in Dhaka.
The remarks came after mobs vandalised and set fire to the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star on Thursday night, trapping journalists and staff inside for hours as police and fire services were initially unable to reach the scene.
“Freedom of expression is no longer the main issue. Now it is about the right to stay alive,” The Daily Star editor and publisher Mahfuz Anam said at a press conference attended by political leaders, business figures and media owners. He said the attacks appeared aimed at killing journalists rather than protesting editorial content.
“If this was protest, they would have asked people to leave before torching the buildings,” Anam said, adding that 26–27 media workers were forced onto the rooftop as fire services were blocked from reaching them. He also cited social media messages allegedly calling for journalists from the two dailies to be hunted down and killed at their homes.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police defended its delayed response, saying immediate intervention could have escalated violence. “We acted cautiously to ensure no human life was lost,” Additional Commissioner Nazrul Islam said.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus said nine people have been arrested in connection with attacks on the two newspapers and cultural organisations Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, which followed the death of radical right-wing youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
Attackers accused the newspapers of “serving the interests” of India and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi, a vocal critic of India and a key figure in last year’s pro-democracy uprising that ousted Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, died last week while undergoing treatment in Singapore.
While the interim government condemned the violence, it described the attackers as fringe elements — a stance criticised by rights groups and journalists, who said authorities failed to act despite repeated appeals for protection.
Category: Breaking News
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