Bangladeshi Journalists Face Deadly Crackdown Amid Quota Protests—Multiple Killed, Hundreds Injured

July 30, 2024 – Bangladesh – 

Amid the intense quota-reform protests in Bangladesh between June and August 2024, journalists endured a wave of brutal attacks by security forces and political actors while covering nationwide unrest. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least two journalists were killed and over 160 were injured during the violent clashes that claimed more than 200 lives.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirmed the deaths of four media personnel—Hasan Mehedi, Md Shakil Hossen, Abu Taher Md Turab, and Mehedi Hasan—all killed while reporting on the protests. Dozens more suffered from beatings, rubber-bullet wounds, and had their equipment damaged or forcibly erased. One particularly chilling incident involved freelance videographer Tahir Zaman Priyo, fatally shot in Dhaka on July 18 while filming police firing into crowds.

The protests ignited after a court reinstated a quota reserving government jobs for war veterans’ descendants. What began as a student-led movement escalated into nationwide demonstrations, prompting a shoot-at-sight curfew, deployment of security forces including the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh, and a devastating internet blackout from July 18 to 28.

IFJ and CPJ vocally condemned the violence against journalists, urging authorities to ensure media safety, restore communications, and prosecute perpetrators. The International Press Institute (IPI) also demanded thorough investigations into these killings. Press unions from Bangladesh emphasized that media workers were targeted deliberately to suppress reporting, with attacks extending to cameras, phones, vehicles, and even press credentials.

The journalists’ plight gained renewed urgency following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5, when her departure did not alleviate threats against the press. A UN fact-finding mission in February 2025 exposed extreme violations: use of lethal force against protesters, journalists, and medical workers, with over 1,400 killed and many more wounded.

This rapid escalation underscores the perilous conditions faced by Bangladeshi journalists. Criminalizing reportage, censoring communication, and using force against the press not only endangers individual reporters but erodes public access to truthful information.

Reference – 

Bangladesh: IPI calls for thorough investigation into killings of journalists

Bangladeshi journalists killed in quota protests as reporters attacked, internet blocked

Bangladesh: Two more journalists killed, hundreds injured as riots rage – IFJ