Bangladesh’s Leading Newspapers Silenced After Mob Attacks Torch Offices Ahead of Elections

Printing presses at Bangladesh’s two most influential newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, fell silent on Friday after mobs set fire to their offices in Dhaka, marking the most serious attack on the country’s media in decades. The violence followed the death of youth leader and election candidate Sharif Osman Hadi, who had been hospitalised in Singapore after being shot earlier this month. Protesters, many of them young, ransacked the newspaper buildings, leaving them gutted and forcing journalists to flee for their lives.

Journalists were trapped for hours on rooftops as flames and thick smoke engulfed the buildings, finally escaping after military reinforcements arrived in the early hours. Editors said the papers may have been targeted for being perceived as pro–Sheikh Hasina and pro-India, accusations both outlets strongly deny, stressing their editorial independence. The attacks forced The Daily Star to miss its first edition in 35 years, while Prothom Alo failed to publish for the first time since its founding.

The violence has intensified scrutiny of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, already under pressure to restore order ahead of February’s national elections. Media groups and analysts warned that the attacks represent a grave setback for press freedom in Bangladesh, which already ranks poorly on global press freedom indices. While the government promised full justice, journalists say the events underscore a growing climate of fear and impunity for attacks on the press.

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