Journalists serve as the eyes and ears of the public, holding power to account and ensuring the citizenry is informed, which is why a free and vibrant press is the bedrock of any functioning democracy.
The critical nature of the work journalists do necessitates that the state fulfills its fundamental responsibility to provide an environment where journalists can work without fear, guaranteeing not only their physical safety and security but also protecting them from precarious employment and institutional pressure that stifles their duties.
To that end, the latest monthly report from the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) reveals that Bangladesh is failing catastrophically in this basic duty. According to the report, Bangladesh witnessed a sharp rise in violence against journalists in August, among other demographics, with 39 incidents affecting 72 journalists. Among the affected journalists, one journalist was murdered, 11 threatened, five assaulted, 33 injured, one arrested, two charged, and 19 others were dismissed from their jobs.
Indeed, the past month witnessed the high profile cases of journalist Md Asaduzzaman Tuhin being murdered in Gazipur, Anwar Hossain Sourav being assaulted in the same part of the city, and the body of Bibhu Ranjan Sarker being recovered from the River Meghna.
This alarming surge in attacks on the press cannot be viewed in a vacuum -- it is inextricably linked to the broader landscape of lawlessness detailed in the same HRSS report. The 67 incidents of political violence, the mob beatings, and the unchecked border killings paint a picture of a state struggling to uphold its most fundamental duty: The protection of its citizens.
All of this is in the backdrop of the interim government’s complete failure to implement any of the recommendations prescribed by its own reform commissions, one of which -- a media reform commission -- was meant to ensure that journalists be treated well alongside the overarching goal of revitalizing Bangladesh’s press landscape.
A nation cannot call itself a democracy when those who are entrusted to keep the powers-that-be in check are left to fend for themselves, either in terms of job security or indeed their personal safety.
