Over 600 scribes targeted since Hasina ouster: Report

A Delhi-based think tank, which conducts risks analysis to prevent violations of human rights, has released a report revealing a systematic and sweeping crackdown on media freedom in Bangladesh in the first eight months of the interim government of Dr Muhammad Yunus.

The report titled “Bangladesh: Press Freedom Throttled Under Dr Muhammad Yunus” claimed that an alarming 640 journalists have been targeted between August 2024 and March 2025 — averaging more than 80 journalists per month — as the Yunus administration sought to stifle independent journalism.

The report, prepared by Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), details a chilling pattern of state-sponsored repression: 182 journalists faced criminal cases (mostly trumped-up), 206 suffered physical assaults or acts of violence, 167 were denied government accreditation and 85 senior journalists came under investigation by the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) — the state’s anti-terror and anti-money laundering body.

This targeted onslaught, according to RRAG, was designed to dismantle the independence of the media and instil a climate of fear across newsrooms.

According to the report, senior journalists from 39 leading media organisations were placed under formal investigation by the BFIU between October 2024 and January 2025.

World