Journalists, politicians, writers, business leaders, and civil society figures on Monday called for a united national stand to protect media freedom, sharply questioning the government’s response to mob violence targeting leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Addressing the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the violence went far beyond attacks on individual institutions. State failure, ‘mobocracy’Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman delivered a sharply worded critique, alleging that mob rule had penetrated state structures. “Those responsible must be identified and brought under the law, and these attacks must come to a complete stop,” he said. Following the meeting, participants formed a human chain outside the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, reiterating demands for justice and vowing to continue their resistance until media freedom and journalists’ safety are fully ensured.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 22, 2025 23:28 UTC