Recent incidents in different parts of the country involving journalists being obstructed, assaulted, threatened and having their equipment snatched while carrying out their professional duties are deeply concerning for press freedom and the right to freedom of expression.
The concern is even greater because activists and leaders of the ruling BNP’s affiliated and associate organisations have been named in some of these incidents.
If, even after a change of power, journalists continue to face the same kind of political intimidation and attacks, questions will inevitably arise about how much the country’s democratic environment has actually changed.
The attack on Daily Star district correspondent Omar Ali Sohag in Jhenaidah is particularly serious. On 29 August, he was covering an event attended by Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman when he was attacked by activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
According to him, Jhenaidah Press Club president and BNP district joint general secretary Asif Iqbal Makhon insulted him and removed him from the venue, accusing him of publishing negative reports about the government.
Later, 15 to 20 JCD activists allegedly assaulted him. The question here is not simply why a journalist was beaten; it is why a journalist was prevented from performing his professional duties through the use of political influence.
In Shariatpur, three journalists were assaulted during a BNP programme in front of the deputy commissioner’s office on 25 August. They are Daily Star journalist Zahid Hasan, News24 and Jago News journalist Bidhan Majumder, and Manabkantha journalist Barkat Molla.
They alleged that the attack was carried out under the leadership of former district Jubo Dal president Arifuzzaman Molla. Earlier, another journalist, BM Israfil, alleged that he was injured in an attack and suffered a broken wrist.
There have also been allegations of reluctance to accept written complaints from the journalists or register them as cases with the police. Meanwhile, counter-allegations of extortion against the journalists have reportedly been taken up for investigation promptly.
In the eyes of the law, the complainant and the accused are equal. But if the police show reluctance to accept one side’s complaint while acting swiftly on the other side’s allegations, questions about their impartiality naturally arise.
In Dohar, a Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal leader has also been accused of assaulting journalist Nurul Islam. He was reportedly beaten when he went to seek information about a dispute over ticket serial numbers. The assault allegedly took place after the attacker learned that he was a journalist.
Local BNP leaders have condemned the incident as wrong and said action would be taken against the person involved.
During the previous Awami League government, attacks, lawsuits and harassment against journalists had become routine. The repeated curtailment of press freedom and freedom of expression was a stark manifestation of the authoritarian conduct of those in power at the time. The people of Bangladesh do not want to return to that old pattern of authoritarianism.
There is no scope to treat attacks and harassment of journalists as isolated incidents. Some BNP leaders have said that the party does not support attacks on journalists and that organisational action will be taken following investigations. Now those words must be translated into action.
It is not enough to simply condemn the incidents or dismiss them as the “personal actions” of individuals. If an accused person holds a party position, how can an investigation involving that person be impartial?
Reporting on irregularities by the government, administration and authorities is an essential part of journalism. If someone objects to a report, they must respond through legal channels—not through attacks, threats or intimidation.
The BNP has long spoken in favour of democracy and freedom of expression. Now that it is in power, it is the BNP that must prove its commitment to those principles.