Ten Royal Recommendations to Protect Bangladeshi Press

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has formally called upon Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to fulfil his election manifestos by ending the entrenched cycle of media persecution in Bangladesh. The international press freedom organisation published its appeal on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, marking the completion of the new administration’s first 100 days in office.

A Period of Political Volatility

Over the past two years, Bangladesh has transitioned through three separate administrations. The long-standing government of Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in August 2024, leading to the installation of an interim administration led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. This was subsequently followed by general elections in February 2026, which saw the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secure office, with Tarique Rahman assuming the role of Prime Minister.

According to the CPJ, each political transition has seen media professionals targeted with arrests, prosecutions, state surveillance, physical violence, and public defamation, typically driven by allegations of loyalty to previous regimes. Most recently, The Daily Star published an alarming report indicating that police departments across the country are actively conducting background verifications to compile detailed profiles on working journalists.

Kunal Majumder, the Asia-Pacific Programme Coordinator for the CPJ, remarked that successive governments in Bangladesh have routinely used state apparatus to weaponise the law against journalists linked to prior administrations. He noted that while Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s administration took office on a platform of systemic change, there has been very little meaningful progress achieved during its first 100 days.

CPJ Advocacy and Communications Timeline

The CPJ has consistently lobbied the varying authorities in Bangladesh over the past eighteen months to safeguard democratic reportage, as detailed below:

Ten Statutory and Executive Recommendations

To effectively halt the targeting of media professionals, the CPJ has outlined ten core areas requiring immediate intervention from the current government:

1. Halt Judicial Harassment and Arbitrary Arrests

The state must review politically motivated legal cases, end the practice of filing mass First Information Reports (FIRs), and ensure that journalists are not unjustly blocked from receiving bail. The CPJ highlighted the ongoing detentions of Farjana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, and Mozammel Babu of Ekattor TV, alongside Shyamal Dutta of Bhorer Kagoj, all of whom have been held since August or September 2024. Although the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh granted bail to Farjana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed in the majority of their cases on 11 May 2026, they remain imprisoned due to outstanding charges.

2. Protect Journalists from International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Charges

Journalistic activities must not be conflated with state atrocities, genocide, or crimes against humanity before the International Crimes Tribunal. All current cases involving media workers before the tribunal require independent legal reviews.

3. Ensure Strict Accountability for Crimes Against the Press

Transparent, impartial, and non-capital investigations must be executed for all instances of journalist murders, assaults, surveillance, and harassment, irrespective of which political party was in power when the offences occurred.

4. Guard Media Houses Against Mob Violence

Journalists and news organisations in Bangladesh face severe intimidation from organised groups and partisan activists. In December 2025, coordinated mobs attacked and set fire to the headquarters of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Journalists were temporarily trapped inside the burning newsrooms, and both companies were forced to halt their print and digital publications.

Furthermore, during 2025, the CPJ documented at least ten distinct incidents where journalists were assaulted or harassed while covering political rallies, with the majority of attacks perpetrated by members or affiliates of the BNP and its student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. The government must unequivocally condemn these acts and mandate that law enforcement prosecute offenders regardless of their political ties.

5. Repeal or Amend Draconian Cyber Laws

Successive cyber security statutes have regularly been deployed as mechanisms for media suppression. The CPJ recommends amending these laws to meet international human rights standards and dismissing all pending cyber-related cases against journalists.

6. Stop Using Counter-Terrorism Legislation against Reporters

The Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, the Special Powers Act 1974, and the Official Secrets Act 1923 have frequently been misused to detain and prosecute reporters. In December 2025, broadcaster Anis Alamgir was arrested under anti-terrorism provisions following televised analysis and social media commentary, though he was subsequently granted bail. Previously, in May 2021, investigative reporter Rozina Islam was detained under the Official Secrets Act on accusations of spying and stealing state documents. The government needs to thoroughly revise or repeal these acts to narrow the legal definition of terrorism and shield legitimate news gathering.

7. Shell Proposed Media Commission Ordinances

The draft National Broadcasting Commission Ordinance and National Media Commission Ordinance of 2026 create regulatory structures that could easily be used to control electronic and print media, mimicking methods used during the Hasina administration. Although the Media Reform Commission set up by the interim government proposed vital safeguards for press independence, they have not yet been implemented. The government should reject the draft ordinances in their present format and adopt the reform commission’s findings through an open, multi-party process.

8. Structural Overhaul of Surveillance and Penal Codes

The administration should completely repeal or fundamentally restructure the Official Secrets Act 1923, remove criminal defamation clauses from the Penal Code 1860, and reform the Special Powers Act 1974 to prevent the arbitrary detention of reporters. Additionally, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act 2001 must be altered to introduce mandatory, independent judicial warrants for electronic interception, putting an end to warrantless surveillance by state intelligence agencies.

9. Rationalise Accreditation Procedures and Deter SLAPPs

The arbitrary system currently used to revoke press credentials must be reformed. Simultaneously, the state must introduce robust statutory protections to insulate journalists from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are designed to bankrupt or silence critics.

10. Eradicate Toxic Political Smear Campaigns

The state must take a definitive public stance against highly damaging partisan smear campaigns that falsely label journalists as “pro-India,” “anti-Islam,” “traitors,” or clandestine agents of the deposed regime. This weaponised rhetoric compromises physical safety, scares away vital confidential sources, and has already forced multiple journalists into exile. The Prime Minister must explicitly and repeatedly state that independent journalism is a guaranteed constitutional right, whilst ensuring those who incite violence against media houses are held legally accountable.