Prothom Alo's statement on the attack on its office

With deep regret, we state that on the night of 18 December, the Prothom Alo office located in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, was subjected to a deliberate and organised attack. At the time of the attack, on-duty journalists were engaged in operating the online news portal as well as preparing the print edition for 19 December.

In the face of this terrorist attack, Prothom Alo employees were left completely unprotected and their lives were put at serious risk. The attackers extensively vandalised the office building and then set it on fire. Due to the prolonged blaze, the building was gutted and the assets and valuable documents stored there were reduced to ashes.

Anticipating the possibility of an attack on the Prothom Alo office, the organisation had sought security by contacting senior levels of the government, various law enforcement agencies, and other relevant authorities.

However, the office came under attack before they could arrive. Anxious journalists and staff on duty were forced to leave the premises to save their lives. Law enforcement and fire service personnel later arrived and brought the situation under control.

As a result of this attack, extensive vandalism, and arson, Prothom Alo was unable to publish its print edition today, Friday for the first time in its 27-year history, excluding newspaper-related holidays. For the same reason, the operations of Prothom Alo Online also had to be suspended for an extended period.

On the same night, the offices of The Daily Star were also subjected to terrorist attacks, vandalism, and arson. There are reasonable grounds to believe that a vested interest group deliberately carried out these attacks by exploiting the tragic killing of Sharif Osman Hadi.

This was a black day for independent journalism. Through these incidents, there was not only an attempt to derail the upcoming election, but also a clear intent to severely damage Bangladesh’s image on the international stage.

This terrorist attack is a clear example of a direct assault on democracy, press freedom, and the right to express dissent. We strongly condemn this incident and also demand a proper investigation and that those responsible be identified and brought to justice.

We will resume Prothom Alo’s online operations as soon as possible. From tomorrow, the newspaper will be published as usual. As always, we seek the support and cooperation of Prothom Alo’s readers.