The Rapid Response Team (RRT) expresses grave concern over the escalating violations undermining digital and civic space, freedom of expression, press freedom, and gender justice in Bangladesh. Recent developments highlight an entrenched culture of intimidation, violence, and gendered disinformation that not only undermines democratic values but also silences critical voices at a time when accountability is most needed.
One pressing concern is the rising hostility toward media, highlighted by a National Citizens Party leader’s threat against Bashundhara Group-owned outlets, reflecting politically motivated attempts to intimidate journalism. RRT strongly condemns such actions and urges grievances against media to be addressed through the Press Council or legal channels, not intimidation. Freedom of expression must be protected, and these threats demand swift, transparent action to uphold democratic culture in Bangladesh.
Journalists covering rallies have also been physically targeted, media vehicles were attacked in Gopalganj, injuring reporters from multiple outlets. In Nilphamari, journalists Zahir Raihan and Rezwan Rony were threatened with arrest by police while reporting on an attack against minorities. In Rangpur, journalist Anwar Hossain Shourav, investigating extortion was brutally beaten with bricks in broad daylight as police stood by. Similarly, journalist Helal Hossain Kabir and his elderly mother were assaulted in their home in Lalmonirhat by known criminals, sustaining severe injuries.
Repression has also extended to students and civic actors. In Dhaka, police used batons, tear gas, and sound grenades against protesting BUET students, injuring several, including journalist Alam Sharif Shimul. Meanwhile, fourteen people, including former MP and freedom fighter Abdul Latif Siddique and Dhaka University law professor Hafizur Rahman Karzon were detained and charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act after a scuffle at a Mancha 71 event, raising concerns of disproportionate legal measures to suppress dissent.
The rise of gender disinformation and misogynistic abuse is equally alarming. At Dhaka University, sociology student Ali Hossain was suspended for threatening a female DUCSU candidate with gang rape on social media. At Rajshahi University, student leader Anisur Rahman Milon was expelled after derogatory remarks about female students, with a Digital Security Act case also filed against him. At Chittagong University, female students live-streaming violence were threatened with rape and subjected to attempts to break into their building. These acts highlight how digital platforms are weaponized to normalize gender-based intimidation.
Cultural expression is also under threat. A poetry recital honoring Rabindranath Tagore was canceled in Bishwa Shahitya Kendra following intimidation that labeled it as ‘fascist-linked’. Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikkojot has demanded replacing music and dance education in schools with religious teaching, undermining Bangladesh’s pluralist heritage. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at Lalon Shah’s akhra in Kushtia ahead of his death anniversary, reflecting heightened tension around cultural practices.
Digital harassment continues to plague senior journalists. Masood Kamal reported receiving daily threats online, describing a climate of fear for those critical of the government. Physical attacks persist, journalist Asif Muhammad Siam was beaten by lawyers inside a Dhaka courtroom while covering the bail hearing of journalist Manjurul Alam Panna, arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Disinformation campaigns are also proliferating. Viral claims alleging that NCP leader Samanta Sharmin hoarded illicit cash were proven fabricated, recycling footage from old casino raids. Similarly, false social media claims that Chittagong beautician Priyanka Dutta was murdered for communal reasons were disproved by CCTV evidence and suicide notes, confirming her death was a suicide driven by personal pressures.
Finally, harassment against women candidates in politics remains systemic. DUCSU VP candidate Sheikh Tasnim Afroze (Emi) described persistent online ridicule, targeted attacks, and smear campaigns, emphasizing that no student group currently provides a safe environment for women candidates.
These incidents are not isolated but interconnected, demonstrating an orchestrated assault on civic freedoms, gender justice, and democratic institutions. The RRT unequivocally condemns these violations and calls upon the Government of Bangladesh to take immediate and concrete action. Impartial investigations must be conducted into all incidents of violence, intimidation, and disinformation, and perpetrators, including both state and non-state actors, must be held fully accountable under the law.
The government must also guarantee the safety and dignity of journalists, women, students, and civic actors, ensuring that their rights to free expression and participation are protected without fear of reprisal. At the same time, legal and institutional safeguards against digital gender-based violence and disinformation need urgent strengthening, with clear mechanisms for redress and protection. Equally important is the protection of Bangladesh’s cultural spaces and pluralist traditions from extremist interference. The government must ensure that cultural practitioners, events, and institutions can operate freely without intimidation or suppression.
The RRT remains committed to documenting, amplifying, and responding to these violations, and urges civil society, development partners, and the international community to stand united in defending democratic space and resisting the normalization of repression in Bangladesh.