We are horrified by the ruthlessness with which Golam Rabbani Nadim, the Jamalpur district correspondent of Banglanews24.com and Bakshiganj upazila correspondent of Ekattor TV, was beaten to death, allegedly by supporters of a union parishad chairman in Jamalpur's Bakshiganj upazila. A video clip of the attack, which has been circulated on social media, provides a chilling account of the incident during which men armed with steel bars and rods hit him indiscriminately, and corroborates the statement of another journalist accompanying him at the time. According to Nadim's family, he was being harassed and threatened by the UP chairman, Mahmudul Alam, prior to the attack; the latter had even filed a case under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for reporting on a press conference in which a woman had claimed that the chairman had married her in secret.

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Journalist beaten to death by ‘UP chairman’s men’

The attack on Nadim took place on the same day that the chairman came to know that the DSA case had been dismissed by the tribunal, which reportedly enraged him. Given the timing and circumstances surrounding the attack, a credible investigation must be made into the involvement of the UP chairman, who is also the general secretary of Jamalpur Sadhurpara union unit of Awami League. The law enforcement agencies must identify and arrest all the perpetrators in the meantime without further delay.

We are alarmed at how unsafe the country has become for journalists who are simply doing their job of holding truth to power. Over the years, there have been increasing instances of attacks, threats, intimidation and even murders of journalists, and it is the correspondents outside of Dhaka who remain most at risk. Unfortunately, in most cases, there is no justice for the violence inflicted upon them, particularly when people in positions of power are involved. The Unesco Observatory of Killed Journalists lists a total of 26 journalists killed in Bangladesh between 2004 and 2022, but notes that only 16.67 percent of the cases it was tracking had thus far been resolved. The high-profile murder of journalist couple Sagar and Runi remains unresolved even after 11 years, with submission of the probe report deferred for the 100th time, giving us a disturbing glimpse into the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators in this country.

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A Law That Only Hurts

Meanwhile, the space for investigative journalism and freedom of expression are shrinking at an alarming rate, as evidenced by the growing number of cases filed under the DSA against journalists. Such institutionalisation of intolerance can only add to the growing insecurity faced by news correspondents across the country. We urge the authorities to ensure justice for Nadim's murder, irrespective of the identity or party affiliation of the perpetrators. No journalist in this country should have to put their life at risk for doing their job.