Several leading press freedom and human rights organisations have called on the Bangladesh government to immediately end the persecution of journalists, urging authorities to halt criminal proceedings against media professionals Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu — particularly on charges of crimes against humanity — for work carried out in their journalistic capacity. The appeal, issued in a joint statement, marks one of the most coordinated international interventions over press freedom in Bangladesh in recent months.

The Charges and Their Basis

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on 14 May formally showed Rupa and Babu, along with former minister Dipu Moni, as arrested in a case linked to alleged crimes against humanity during the 2013 crackdown on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka. According to the joint statement, the prosecution's case rests on broadcast coverage of those events — including a current affairs programme presented by Rupa that allegedly 'spread misleading information' about casualty figures and purportedly contributed to crimes against humanity.

Critically, the signatories noted that lawyers representing Rupa and Babu have not been provided with any evidence or a chargesheet since the tribunal proceedings were initiated.

What the Organisations Said

The joint statement drew a sharp legal and ethical line: 'A fundamental aspect of the right to freedom of expression is the protection of journalistic work, including reporting and editorial decisions on matters of significant public interest, especially where events are politically contested or disputed. Decisions about how to cover a contested political incident should not be criminalised, let alone prosecuted as crimes against humanity.'

The organisations further stated: 'The suggestion that such conduct could amount to an international crime is wrong as a matter of law. The decision to initiate proceedings without a legal foundation creates a chilling effect on journalists and media outlets in Bangladesh.'

Pre-Trial Detention Since 2024

Beyond the crimes against humanity case, Rupa, Babu, Shakil Ahmed — Rupa's husband and a fellow journalist at Ekattor TV — and Shyamal Dutta, Editor of the newspaper Bhorer Kagoj, have been held in pre-trial detention since August and September 2024. Their detention is connected to numerous murder cases arising from deaths during the July–August 2024 mass protests that ultimately ousted the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.

The organisations noted that no chargesheet has been served in any of those murder cases, and no explanation has been offered as to how journalists' reporting on the uprising could constitute the crime of murder. They characterised these as among thousands of murder cases filed against perceived supporters of the former government, many of which, they said, are based on no known evidence.

Broader Pattern of Press Suppression

This comes amid a broader crackdown on media in Bangladesh following the political transition of 2024. Critics argue that the filing of mass First Information Reports (FIRs) against journalists has become a tool of political pressure rather than legitimate legal process. The use of crimes against humanity charges — typically reserved for the gravest atrocities — against journalists for broadcast editorial decisions is, according to the organisations, an unprecedented and legally untenable escalation.

Demands and Next Steps

The press freedom and human rights groups urged the Bangladesh government to immediately release all journalists detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights and carrying out their reporting. They also called on authorities to drop what they described as 'politically motivated charges' tied to journalistic work and to end the practice of filing multiple cases and mass FIRs against journalists across the country. Whether Dhaka will respond to this international pressure remains to be seen, but the coordinated nature of the appeal signals growing global concern over the state of press freedom in post-Hasina Bangladesh.