Concerns are rising that Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is not only violently repressing minorities but is also enacting draconian policies against freedom of speech. Through repression and intimidation, Yunus is fueling concerns that the necessary foundation for a functioning democracy, a free and fair press, will be hampered before it can even begin.

When Yunus came to power, his initial actions indicated he would promote journalistic freedoms. However, not long after, in November 2024, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) wrote a letter to Yunus, in response to their concerns regarding press freedoms under his unelected interim government. In the letter, they laid out 10 actions for the government to take to promote press freedoms and protect journalists. Three months later, there has been no response to this letter and none of the suggested actions have been undertaken. Instead, journalists are being systematically targeted and assaulted by unidentified mobs in broad daylight while the government refuses to intervene.

The CPJ are not alone in highlighting the lack of press freedoms in the country. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Doughty Street Chambers have both been involved in the international efforts to release two journalists who have been detained indefinitely by the government. Farzana Rupa and her husband Shakil Ahmed were detained in August whilst trying to leave the country for their support of the Awami League. The family has since initiated the complaints procedures to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.

Whilst Rupa and Ahmed have gathered international attention, they are not the only reporters behind bars. At least six other journalists are known to be detained by RSF, which ranks Bangladesh 165th out of 180 countries on the RSF Index of Press Freedoms. One of the biggest concerns for organizations such as RSF is that the financial intelligence unit of the central bank has been given access to the bank accounts of journalists, as well as those of their children, spouses and any related businesses. This is a deeply worrying trend in the pattern of press intimidation that has become characteristic of the interim government, whether that is the revocation of journalist credentials and the sacking of others.

Foreign journalists in Bangladesh also face severe threats. Reporting on attacks against Hindus following Sheikh Hasina’s removal, British-Iranian journalist Sahar Zand described a harrowing experience of being trapped in a car for three hours, as an angry mob of hundreds targeted her vehicle, pelting it with bricks. Many foreign journalists now fear for their lives.

Incredibly, despite the government’s claim to be bringing democratic reforms to the country, a “hit list” of journalists has been circulated online, which some have suggested originated from within the government. The list includes 189 foreign and domestic journalists, fueling an atmosphere of fear.

It is not just journalists who are facing repressive measures. Recently, two actresses who had been critical of the government on social media were both arrested on charges of sedition and conspiracy against the state. They are just two of the estimated 1,300 who have been arrested in the last few weeks, sparking serious concerns that the government is engaged in anti-democratic repression in the face of legitimate opposition, prompting condemnation from Human Rights Watch.

Instead of working to bring press freedoms to Bangladesh, private citizens are not allowed to criticize the government on social media. Many of the main national newspapers, like the Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and the Dhaka Tribune, have become mouthpieces of the government. While some prominent media figures may claim that the government is no longer a censoring force in Bangladesh, this clearly couldn’t be further from the truth.