In a year marked by escalating violence against the press, Bangladesh has emerged as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, according to the latest Reporters Without Borders report.
The report, titled RSF Round-Up 2024 and published on Thursday, highlights the alarming trend of targeted violence against media professionals, especially during political unrest and protests.
Asia, particularly Bangladesh and Pakistan, also saw troubling trends, according to the report. Pakistan recorded seven journalist deaths and Bangladesh witnessed five fatalities tied to protests earlier in the year.
It opens with a stark statement: “Dying is not an acceptable risk of journalism.” Yet, it said, the risks for journalists worldwide have reached unprecedented levels, with conflict zones witnessing record-high death tolls among media professionals.
The Gaza Strip alone accounted for nearly 30% of all journalist deaths in 2024. Palestine continues to be the deadliest region for journalists, surpassing any other country or territory in the past five years, it said.
A violent crackdown in Bangladesh during July protests over a controversial public job quota system claimed the lives of five journalists, the report said.
Mehedi Hasan, a journalist with Dhaka Times, was killed while covering clashes between protesters and security forces in Dhaka.
The protests led to a major political crisis and the eventual ouster of Sheikh Hasina, the report said.
The targeting of journalists by security forces was not coincidental, as the authorities sought to suppress coverage of the mass uprising that resulted in the overthrow of the government, it added.
The RSF report also ranks Bangladesh’s security forces among the primary threats to press freedom in 2024, alongside Israel's armed forces, which have been implicated in the deaths of over 155 journalists since October 2023.
Globally, the number of journalists killed while covering conflict zones has risen to alarming levels. In terms of press freedom violations, China, Myanmar, and Israel top the list of countries with the highest number of detained journalists.
China leads with 124 imprisoned journalists, followed by Myanmar with 61, and Israel with 41.
The situation is further compounded by the alarming statistics of 55 journalists currently held hostage, including two new abductions in 2024, and 95 journalists reported missing worldwide.
As the report makes clear, press freedom is under dire threat, with both violent repression in conflict zones and systematic censorship in non-war countries.