Bangladesh national election 2024: Journalists caught in the cross hairs

DHAKA: Bangladesh is scheduled to hold general elections by January 2024. Amid questions over the potential legitimacy of the elections, clashes are already on the rise both between and within the political parties, and journalists have frequently been caught in the cross hairs.

Ahead of the upcoming election, Bangladeshi police have procured large amounts of shotgun bullets, tear gas shells, sound grenades, and sniper rifles amid expectations of surging violence.

Unfortunately, violence against journalists is commonplace in Bangladesh, particularly for those covering politics or elections, according to CPJ research. In June, Jamalpur-based journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim was beaten to death in retaliation for a series of reports about a local politician and regional leader of the ruling Awami League party.

CPJ has documented numerous incidents of violence against journalists so far in 2023, including the arrest and alleged electrocution of Satkhira-based journalist Raghunath Kha and the abduction and severe beating of Rangunia-based journalist Abu Azad.

Journalists targeted under the country’s Digital Security Act have faced arrest and disappearance in addition to alleged torture while in state custody. In August 2023, the government announced the law would be replaced by a new Cyber Security Act, which human rights advocates fear will be used to continue cracking down on dissent. In September, the Cyber Security Act was passed into law.