Dhaka under Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus has been using British funds to keep its censorship authority well-oiled, the Rights and Risks Analysis Group said

Press freedom in Bangladesh has sharply deteriorated under the leadership of Chief Advisor Dr Mohammad Yunus, with attacks on journalists surging by 230% compared to the final year of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, according to a new report by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG).

Releasing its report “Bangladesh: Media Freedom Murdered by Dr Mohammad Yunus” on Monday, on the first anniversary of Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, RRAG revealed that 878 journalists were targeted between August 2024 and July 2025, a steep rise from 383 journalists attacked in the preceding year under Hasina’s rule.

RRAG Director Suhas Chakma detailed how media repression has intensified under Dr Yunus stating, “the number of criminal cases filed against journalists under Dr Yunus (195 cases) during 2024-2025 increased by 558% in comparison to the number of cases (35 cases) filed against journalists under Hasina during 2023-2024. While Hasina’s regime was not known to have denied any accreditation to journalists, Dr Yunus used accreditation as an instrument to punish the journalists allegedly associated with the previous regime and denied accreditation to 167 journalists. During 2023-2024, Hasina’s regime was not known to have used the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), anti-money laundering agency of the country, against the journalists but Dr Yunus let loose the BFIU which issued notices to 107 journalists. Finally, while 348 journalists faced acts of violence and criminal intimidation under Sheikh Hasina’s regime, mostly during the July 2024 uprising, about 431 journalists faced acts of violence and criminal intimidation under Dr Yunus”.

The report stated that the situation of the media continues to deteriorate under Dr Yunus and tragic incidents portray the grim reality. On June 25, 2025, journalist Khandaker Shah Alam, a correspondent of Daily Matrijagat, was murdered at Nabinagar Upazila, in Dhaka’s northeast, in a targeted retaliation by Babul Mia, known locally as ‘Tiger Babul Dakat’ after he was released from prison.

On July 27, 2025, the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka issued arrest warrants against three journalists, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam, its publisher Moynal Hossain Chowdhury and news portal Bangla Insider’s Chief Editor Syed Borhan Kabir under the Digital Security Act (DSA) despite a declaration by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on June 27, 2025, that all cases under the DSA had been withdrawn.

On April 21, 2025, Kongkon Karmaker was dismissed by The Daily Star as Dinajpur correspondent only because his report about the death of religious minority Bhabesh Chandra Roy was picked up by multiple Indian media outlets and India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

“In order to silence the media, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh Dr Mohammed Yunus established “CA Press Wing Facts” as the defecto censorship authority by other means, the manufacturer of the government version of the truth, and intimidate the media houses and NGOs including the Rights & Risks Analysis Group through disinformation,” Chakma stated.

The report also raises questions about Britain’s role in funding Bangladesh’s interim government.

“The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has provided funding of £474,468 to strengthen the Office of the Chief Adviser’s capacity on reform management and strategic communications under its “Bangladesh-Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics (B-CAPP) Programme,” it said, indicating that this would mean supporting the “CA Press Wing Facts”.

Across the world, Fact Checking Units of the governments have been declared as instruments to violate freedom of opinion and expression, and the support to the “CA Press Wing Facts” of Dr Yunus is a bad template that poses a risk to the free world,” Chakma observed.

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RRAG said it will approach the UK Parliament’s Human Rights (Joint Committee) and other international bodies, urging them to review their support to Bangladesh’s interim government in light of the “absolute silencing” of the country’s media.