A press freedom organization has called on Bangladeshi authorities to withdraw charges against six journalists from the daily “Agrajatra Pratidin.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern over the charges filed against the journalists under Bangladesh’s Cyber Security Act 2026, along with allegations of criminal defamation, extortion, and criminal intimidation.
The CPJ highlighted that the charges stemmed from the newspaper’s coverage of alleged corruption involving Bangladesh’s State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam. Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific programme coordinator, condemned the detention of Rezanur Islam and charges against the other journalists as an act of intimidation. He emphasized the need for authorities to drop the charges and refrain from misusing cyber and criminal defamation laws against the media.
According to the CPJ, there has been a documented increase in physical attacks, threats, and harassment against media outlets in Bangladesh due to political polarization. The press freedom group previously called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to fulfill his promise to safeguard media freedom, urging an end to the targeted persecution of journalists after his government’s initial 100 days in power.
Expressing further apprehension, the CPJ referenced a report by Bangladesh’s The Daily Star, which disclosed police conducting background checks and profiling journalists nationwide. Kunal Majumder reiterated the importance of upholding press freedom, emphasizing the need for the government to release imprisoned journalists, cease politically motivated cases, protect journalists from violence, and amend laws enabling such actions.
The CPJ emphasized the cessation of using the criminal justice system against media professionals in Bangladesh. The organization highlighted the detention or charging of numerous journalists perceived to support former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since August 2024.
