Bangladesh’s Editors’ Council has strongly denounced the assault on journalists in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, urging a prompt, fair, and trustworthy investigation into the matter. The attack, allegedly carried out by members of the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami on June 23 in Dhanmondi 32, targeted journalists, accusing them of supporting the Awami League. Among the injured were Jamuna Television Senior Reporter Rabbi Siddiqui and Daily Sakal Multimedia Reporter Mahfuzur Rahman Shishir.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Council highlighted that the journalists were attacked while covering a political event organized by the Dhaka South unit of Jamaat. The Council rejected Jamaat’s explanation of a “misunderstanding” leading to the assault, emphasizing that there is no justification for targeting journalists in the line of their professional duty. Such attacks not only endanger press freedom but also hinder journalists’ right to report news and undermine freedom of expression.
The Council called on authorities to identify the perpetrators behind the attack through a credible investigation and ensure appropriate legal actions are taken against them. It further urged for the provision of a safe and secure environment for journalists to carry out their duties without fear or intimidation. Witnesses reported that Jamaat workers physically assaulted journalist Mahfuzur Rahman Shishir, pulling him by the collar and physically attacking him. Shishir, speaking to his colleagues, condemned the violence, questioning the notion of press freedom when journalists are subjected to such attacks.
This incident is part of a series of escalating assaults on journalists that began during the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and have persisted under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration. Recently, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to fulfill his commitment to safeguard media freedom, urging an end to the targeted persecution of journalists. The CPJ emphasized the need for the government to release imprisoned journalists, halt politically motivated charges, protect journalists from violence, and amend laws that enable such actions.
