Bangladesh Paramilitary Assaults Journalist Amid Rising Press Threats Under Interim Cybersecurity Push

September 03, 2024 – Bangladesh – 

Prothom Alo’s Dhaka University correspondent Asif Himadri was physically assaulted by members of Bangladesh’s paramilitary Ansar force while covering a protest at the Secretariat Complex in Dhaka. Himadri identified himself as a journalist documenting a clash between Ansar personnel demanding job nationalization and student protestors, but that did not prevent him from being attacked. The incident occurred during widespread unrest—carefully captured in footage of the assault—while around 40 students were also injured amid the melee. A total of 388 Ansar members were later sent to jail in connection with the clash, though there’s no indication any were held accountable for targeting the reporter.

This assault underscores a deep-seated issue: state-affiliated forces targeting journalists under the guise of maintaining order. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Bangladesh affiliate BMSF condemned the attack, calling on the interim government to implement concrete protection mechanisms for media professionals.

But Himadri’s case is just the latest in a broader wave of suppression. According to a February 2025 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Bangladesh is facing mounting threats to press freedom. Journalists are at risk not only of physical attacks but also of legal intimidation and proposed cybercrime laws that could chill reporting.

The CPJ warns that version 2.0 of the Digital Security Act—now rebranded as the Cybersecurity Act—retains vaguely worded provisions criminalizing “false news” and anti-state speech. This has fueled fear and self-censorship among journalists, especially during periods of political volatility OR civil unrest. The report highlights dozens of overt attacks on media workers since August 2024, right after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had already overseen an era of diminishing press freedom

Reference –

Bangladesh: Journalist assaulted by paramilitary – IFJ