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.