64 journalists victimized in April; 4 faced legal action

There were 18 incidents involving 34 cases of journalist abuse, attacks, threats, injuries, and harassment in March. The number of incidents rose to 24, affecting 64 journalists in April. Legal actions such as lawsuits and arrests increased from one case in March to four in April.

This information comes from a report by the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF), which stated that threats and attacks on journalists are recurring, obstructing their professional duties and the constitutional right to free expression and journalism.

The April report was shared with the media on Wednesday (April 30) by MSF’s founding president, Advocate Sultana Kamal.

According to information collected by MSF and published in various news outlets, 62 journalists across different districts were subjected to attacks, legal harassment, arrests, threats, and abuse while performing their professional duties in April. Additionally, one female journalist was harassed in the Banasree area of Dhaka.

Among those affected, 8 journalists were injured or physically attacked while on duty. 9 were threatened or insulted, and 3 were harassed. A total of 41 journalists were victims of legal harassment through four lawsuits and one general diary (GD), and 2 journalists lost their jobs.

Among the four cases filed in April, two were murder cases, one was for defamation, and one was for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. In addition, a TikToker filed a GD at Darshana Police Station in Chuadanga against six individuals — including four journalists — for posting on social media against his online gambling promotion.