Bangladesh Newspaper Offices Hit as Protests Escalate After Activist's Death
Protests surge after the death of a prominent activist linked to last year's movement that ousted a former prime minister, with major papers attacked and violence spreading.
Violent unrest in Bangladesh intensified as protesters attacked two leading newspapers after the death of a young activist who helped lead last year’s mass protests. The incident underscores growing pressure on press freedom during a fragile political transition.
Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old rising figure in the student movement Inqilab Mancha (Revolution Front), was shot in Dhaka last week and died on Thursday. In response, hundreds of protesters targeted the Daily Star (English-language) and Prothom Alo (Bengali) offices late Thursday, with demonstrations persisting into Friday.
For the first time in 35 years, the Daily Star was unable to publish a print edition on Friday, after its editor said the newsroom would be inoperable for a period. The editor described colleagues trapped on the roof, gasping for air, until security reinforcements arrived.
Damage was extensive, and large sections of both buildings were badly burnt, with smoke still visible at Prothom Alo’s site on Friday.
The motives for attacking the two outlets — long seen as secular and critical of government policy — remain unclear. Since the July 2024 uprising, both papers have continued to challenge some policies of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, angering some supporters.
The interim government condemned the violence, vowing full justice for those responsible and saying attacks on journalists amount to an attack on the truth. It stressed that the country’s democratic transition must not be derailed by a small fringe of chaos-seekers.
Other prominent sites, including the home of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were vandalised in the same wave of protests. Bangladesh is due to hold elections next February, the first since Hasina was ousted from power.
Hadi, described as a senior leader within Inqilab Mancha and part of the youth movement that toppled Hasina, had planned to run as an independent candidate in February. He was shot as he left a mosque in Dhaka on 12 December and died after receiving treatment in Singapore. Hasina fled to India in August 2024 amid weeks of student protests, and a domestic court later sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity related to the crackdown on protesters, in a case that has drawn international attention.
Yunus, the interim government head, called Hadi’s death an irreparable loss and described the shooting as a premeditated attempt to derail the election. He urged the nation to stay the course toward democracy.
The government has declared a national day of mourning for Saturday, while authorities say investigations are ongoing and several people have been detained in connection with the shooting.
Hasina’s exit and the ongoing political confrontation have raised concerns about press freedom and the path to elections in Bangladesh.
Expert comment: Media analyst Dr. Amina Karim says such attacks highlight how fragile press freedom can be during political transitions and may chill critical reporting ahead of elections. They warn that violence against journalists threatens the public’s access to reliable information.
Short summary: The assault on two major newspapers amid protests signals a dangerous turn for media freedom in Bangladesh during a sensitive transition. A prominent activist’s death sparked the attacks, prompting a government crackdown and a national day of mourning. As elections approach, independent journalism faces renewed pressures from both sides of the political divide.
Key insight: Attacks on journalists undermine truthful reporting and democratic progress during fragile political transitions. BBC coverage
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