Staff at two of Bangladesh’s leading newspapers say they were left “gasping for air” as protesters stormed and set fire to their offices in Dhaka, in an attack described as “one of the darkest days for independent journalism” in the country.
The violence erupted Thursday night following the death of prominent activist Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in the 2024 protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hundreds of demonstrators targeted the offices of the English-language Daily Star and Bengali daily Prothom Alo.
“It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh,” the Daily Star stated. Consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told the BBC that 28 colleagues were trapped on a rooftop for hours, “gasping for fresh air,” before military reinforcements rescued them.
For the first time in its 35-year history, the newspaper could not publish its Friday print edition and will be “inoperable for a while.”
The motive for targeting the historically secular and progressive outlets remains unclear. While they faced criticism under Hasina’s administration, both have maintained a critical stance toward some policies of the current interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which may have angered its supporters.
The interim government condemned the attacks, vowing “full justice” for the perpetrators and stating, “Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself.”
The violence extended to other prominent sites, including the ancestral home of the country’s founding president.
The arson attacks cast a shadow over Bangladesh’s fragile political transition as it prepares for its first post-Hasina elections scheduled for next February, raising urgent questions about press freedom and stability.
By James Kisoo
