Mob violence in Bangladesh has forced many journalists and media houses to practise self-censorship, fearful of publishing or broadcasting news that might provoke certain political forces, several journalists from Dhaka said.
The fears have intensified following the violent aftermath of the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, a July Uprising leader. Mobs attacked the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star on Thursday night, torching parts of the buildings while journalists and other employees spent terrifying hours trapped on smoke-engulfed rooftops.
“The way the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were set ablaze by mobs was unprecedented,” said a senior journalist with a Dhaka newspaper, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“Newspaper offices had faced attacks earlier, too, but those were restricted to ransacking. Now, many journalists are scared despite government assurances of action against those responsible.”
A journalist was killed in Khulna as the turmoil spread across Bangladesh. Newspaper offices were attacked also in Sylhet, Khulna and Kushtia.
Kajal Ghosh, news editor at Daily Manabzamin, whose office is near those of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, told The Telegraph: “For any work, the environment is very important. If the environment is one of fear, one cannot work.”
He added: “When the big media houses are under attack and are in a state of fear, we all become worried.”
Ghosh and his colleagues did not go home on the night of the attacks.
“We too are feeling the heat of the attack. But we will continue our fight against the assault on media independence and freedom of speech, and will continue to report the facts,” he said.
Ghosh warned that the situation would worsen if the government failed to act.
“There has been a change from a government run by a political party to an interim government. But now the media has become the victim of mobocracy,” he said.
“If the government does not punish those responsible, journalists will feel more unsafe in their job of bringing out the facts.”
The Daily Star returned to publication on Saturday after a day’s gap following the arson and vandalism. Its lead headline read simply: “UNBOWED.”
The Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) expressed concern at the attacks in a joint statement issued on Friday and published in the Bangladeshi media.
“This attack is not just on the media; it is an attack on the society and democratic values. Above all, it is an attack on Bangladesh,” said the statement issued by Editors’ Council president Nurul Kabir and NOAB president A.K. Azad.
“During the late-night assault, in addition to significant damage to the infrastructure and assets of the two institutions, the lives of journalists were put at risk. This incident clearly reflects not only the severe deterioration of law and order but also the state’s negligence and lack of responsibility.
“The Editors’ Council and NOAB believe that this is not an isolated incident. From the beginning, the ongoing failure of the current interim government to prevent mob violence has been evident, and the latest incident is yet another horrific example.
“The attack on media offices proves that the law enforcement agencies have completely failed to play an effective role in controlling crime.”