3rd May – World Press Freedom Day! But Does It Resonate in Today’s Bangladesh?

On 3 May each year, the world commemorates World Press Freedom Day, a date declared by the United Nations General Assembly to affirm the central role of free and independent journalism in democratic societies. Rooted in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this day reminds states of their duty to uphold freedom of expression, particularly through a free press.

But in today’s Bangladesh, can we in good conscience celebrate this day?

As the globe reflects on the state of journalism, we must ask: Does this observance hold meaning under Bangladesh’s present puppet and fascist regime led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus? The promises made by this government to uphold press liberty have proved to be hollow echoes, sharply contradicted by a campaign of intimidation, censorship, and persecution.

Since the puppet regime seized power in early August 2024, media freedom in Bangladesh has suffered a relentless assault. According to the Rights and Risk Analysis Group (RRAG), over 354 journalists have been harassed, 74 violent attacks have occurred, 113 criminal charges have been fabricated, and press credentials have been stripped from at least 167 reporters. In total, nearly 300 incidents of abuse or legal harassment have been documented. The human rights group Ain o Salish Kendra confirms that 62 such events took place in 2025 alone.

As part of an orchestrated strategy to subdue dissent, editorial leadership at 29 major newspapers and TV stations has been replaced by loyalists aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami butchers of 1971—the very factions long opposed to secular democratic principles.

Beh Lih Yi, Asia Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), rightly observed:

“We are disturbed by the apparently baseless detentions and criminal cases against journalists, and incidents of media groups' offices being targeted and vandalized... These assaults on press freedom must end. They create a chilling effect on the media in Bangladesh.”

On this global day honoring free press, we must acknowledge the disturbing reality: in Bangladesh, press freedom is not just under threat—it is being systematically eradicated.

The Rise of a Puppet Regime

Bangladesh, once a beacon of democratic resilience, now teeters on the precipice of autocracy, entrapped by an illegitimate puppet and fascist regime. The so-called Yunus-Waker government, installed through a clandestine extraterritorial conspiracy, assumed office on 8 August 2024—a dark hour in the nation’s history. Its rise was orchestrated by shadowy alliances involving the U.S. deep state (notably the CIA), Pakistan’s ISI, rogue elements within the Bangladesh military, and remnants of the 1971 war criminals.

This puppet regime is a grotesque offspring of the reactionary politics rooted in the legacy of General Ziaur Rahman. Propped up by radical Islamist forces and militarized operatives, it orchestrated the unconstitutional ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024—a violent rupture of democratic order.

Journalism in Chains: The Fall of the Fourth Estate

In any thriving democracy, the press functions as a watchdog—a vital instrument to inform citizens, check power, and ensure transparency. In Bangladesh, journalism has long been more than an institution; it has been a lifeline for the marginalized, a beacon of accountability.

But under the current regime, the press is being strangled into silence. The regime, emboldened by foreign backers like CIA, ISI, USAID in league with Jamaati-Shibir butchers, an illegitimate political squad born in Dhaka cantonment by reprobate military dictator Gen Zia BNP and some other extremum right-winger fundies have declared an undeclared war on the media. Independent journalism is now treated as an act of rebellion ad treason.

The consequence has been catastrophic. Several once-independent networks have been shut down. Reporters are being tracked, abducted, tortured, or coerced into exile. Others vanish into the gulag of state custody. While Bangladesh’s media had previously withstood coups, martial law, and ideological purges, never before has it faced a purge of such merciless breadth and cruelty.

Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed: Symbols of Journalistic Martyrdom

Among the many victims of this repression are Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed, a married couple and veteran journalists who dared to report the truth. Arrested at Dhaka Airport in August 2024, they were charged under absurd pretexts. Today, they languish in prison, denied bail, separated from their children, and subjected to degrading treatment.

Their persecution is emblematic of a regime that not only seeks to censor the press but to crush the human spirit behind it.

The Gendered Face of Repression

Female journalists bear a disproportionate burden under this tyranny. Reports of sexual harassment, mob-led assaults, and institutional intimidation are mounting. The public sphere, once cautiously welcoming to women, has become a treacherous landscape. Women who once reported with courage now navigate a climate of dread, where their very presence invites hostility.

Bangladesh’s Plunge in Global Rankings

The world has taken note. Bangladesh has fallen to a shocking 165th place in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting its precipitous decline from democratic norms. Yet global reaction has remained tepid. Western powers who preach freedom have, so far, failed to match their words with meaningful actions. Condemnation without consequence does little to confront tyranny.

Dr. Yunus: A Figurehead Cloaked in Hypocrisy

Presiding over this repression is Dr. Muhammad Yunus has turned pliant figurehead. Cloaked in rhetoric about human rights, his administration has become a facade for repression. Behind his soft-spoken diplomacy lies a regime fueled by vengeance, controlled by forces who abhor pluralism and truth.

His spokespersons deliver anti-democratic screeds, branding dissenters as enemies of the state while defending a government that governs through coercion, not consent.

A Call to the Conscience of the World

What is unfolding in Bangladesh is not merely an attack on the press—it is the erosion of democratic civilization. The silencing of journalists is a harbinger of broader collapse. A nation that cannot speak cannot think. And a nation that cannot think cannot govern itself justly.

The international community must act decisively. Words are not enough. Concrete measures—diplomatic pressure, sanctions, international legal scrutiny—are urgently needed. Journalists must be released. Press freedom must be restored. The world must cease its complicity through silence.

If journalism dies in Bangladesh, democracy itself becomes a tragic illusion, a mirage in the desert of despotism. The time to act is now.

By: Anwar A. Khan

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