For years, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been synonymous with the brutal silencing of dissent, turning his country into one of the world's largest prisons for journalists. Today, shockingly, Bangladesh -- once hailed as a moderate Muslim democracy -- is following the same dangerous path under the unelected, military-backed rule of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Since the Islamist-backed coup of 2024 that installed Yunus in power, the country has witnessed an unprecedented assault on freedom of the press. Journalists have been dragged to jail under trumped-up charges, assaulted in courtrooms, and criminalized under the vague Anti-Terrorism Act. The once vibrant Bangladeshi media, long known for its resilience, is now suffocating under a regime that increasingly mirrors Taliban-style authoritarianism.
This is a tragedy not only for Bangladesh. The repression unfolding in Bangladesh carries far-reaching consequences for South Asia's fragile security balance, for US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, and for India's fight against Islamist extremism along its vulnerable eastern frontier. The silencing of Bangladesh's media is not just about censorship -- it is part of a larger transformation of the country into a breeding ground for radical Islamist politics that threatens the stability of the entire region.
Bangladesh: The new jailer of journalists
According to the Deutsche Welle:
"There have been more than 354 journalists harassed, 74 cases of violence reported, 113 criminal charges filed, and press credentials revoked for 167 journalists, according to the [Rights and Risks Analysis Group] report."
Unsurprisingly, Yunus's officials dismissed the report as "a wildly misleading piece of disinformation". But such denials have become routine. From repressing minorities to intimidating journalists, the regime consistently refutes what is visible to the naked eye.
Beh Lih Yi, Asia program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, has condemned the campaign of repression:
"We are disturbed by the apparently baseless detentions and criminal cases against journalists, and incidents of media groups' offices being targeted and vandalized. These assaults on press freedom must end. They create a chilling effect on the media."
The chilling effect is, of course, deliberate. By criminalizing the press, Yunus is dismantling the very institutions that could hold his interim regime accountable, while empowering Islamist groups that thrive in darkness.
Case study: The arrest of Monjurul Alam Panna
The arrest of journalist Monjurul Alam Panna on August 28, 2025, illustrates the new climate of fear. Panna was seized from the auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity while attending a discussion on "Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh". The program was violently disrupted by protestors who had already threatened the event online.
The International Federation of Journalists condemned Panna's arrest, and noted that he and 15 others were rounded up on charges that had been fabricated. In court the following day, Panna was paraded in a bulletproof vest and helmet as if he were a dangerous terrorist. On September 4, shocking images circulated of police officers choking him inside the court premises. The message was unmistakable: in today's Bangladesh, even the walls of justice are weaponized against the media.
Panna's case is not alone -- it is a symbol of how the Yunus regime is criminalizing journalism itself.
Extremists flourish as journalists are silenced
The most disturbing paradox is that while independent journalists are being silenced, Islamist extremists are enjoying growing freedom. Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladeshi franchise of Al-Qaeda, openly justifies murdering secular writers and bloggers by branding them "enemies of Islam." These extremist narratives are tolerated, if not encouraged, by the state's unwillingness to confront them.
In July 2025, the political party Islami Andolan Bangladesh -- nicknamed "Congregation of the island of Monai" and advocating Islamic sharia law for Bangladesh -- vowed to remake the country in the image of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Yunus's key political ally, is also advancing the same goals while supporting the indefinite tenure of the unelected interim regime. The convergence of state repression and Islamist radicalism is transforming Bangladesh into a ticking time bomb for South Asia.
Global concern and rights groups' alarm
The crackdown has drawn international criticism. Earlier this year, a coalition of major human rights organizations -- including Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch, PEN America, and the Committee to Protect Journalists - issued a joint statement warning of escalating attacks:
"We note with alarm the number of arrests and incidents of harassment and violence against individuals and human rights defenders exercising their right to freedom of expression in Bangladesh. The government has an obligation to guarantee the right to freedom of expression, including protecting people from attacks by non-state actors".
The International Society for Human Rights added:
"Bangladesh's vibrant media landscape is facing an increasingly alarming threat, with a worrying rise in violent attacks and legal cases targeting journalists".
It further noted that police and political activists have beaten journalists with sticks and hammers, placing Bangladesh among the most dangerous countries for journalists in South Asia.
Strategic concerns for the United States
For Washington, the persecution of journalists in Bangladesh is not simply a human rights issue -- it is a matter of strategic urgency. The United States has long viewed Bangladesh as a partner in its Indo-Pacific strategy, particularly as a counterweight to China's growing influence in South Asia. Yunus's reliance on Islamist allies such as Jamaat-e-Islami undermines this role by pushing Bangladesh into a trajectory that will likely make it hostile to US interests.
If Bangladesh descends further into authoritarianism and Islamist radicalization, it risks becoming another Afghanistan -- a sanctuary for extremist groups with transnational ambitions. Such a development would not only destabilize South Asia but also endanger US security interests across the region. Washington cannot afford to remain silent while an unelected regime dismantles democracy and silences the media in Bangladesh.
India's growing alarm
For India, the stakes are even higher. Bangladesh shares a long, porous border with India's sensitive northeastern states, where separatist insurgencies and communal tensions simmer. A Bangladesh modeled on the Taliban would provide a fertile ground for cross-border terrorism, fueling instability in Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura.
Indian intelligence agencies have already warned of Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist groups attempting to infiltrate northeastern India with the support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. The systematic silencing of Bangladesh's media, by eliminating the watchdogs who could expose such subversive plots, only accelerates this danger.
India has invested heavily in regional connectivity projects, energy cooperation, and counter-terrorism coordination with Bangladesh. All of these gains are now at risk. If Dhaka turns into a safe haven for extremists under the cover of Yunus's authoritarianism, New Delhi may be forced to radically rethink its security and diplomatic posture.
Democracy under siege
An independent media is universally regarded as the fourth pillar of democracy. Yet under Yunus's rule, it is being systematically dismantled. Ironically, Yunus -- once celebrated as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- now presides over one of the harshest crackdowns on freedom of expression in Bangladesh's history. His administration's use of the judiciary, police and Islamist groups to suppress dissent demonstrates how far the country has strayed from its former democratic norms.
Yunus has promised elections in February 2026, but his Islamist allies are already signaling their intention to sabotage the process. If the media remains silenced, if journalists remain in prison, the path is clear: Bangladesh will be robbed of its democracy and its people robbed of their voice.
Bangladesh stands at a dangerous crossroads. The persecution of journalists under Yunus is not merely an assault on freedom of expression - it is the deliberate dismantling of democracy itself. Every day that Monjurul Alam Panna and other journalists remain behind bars, Bangladesh moves closer to becoming another Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The international community cannot afford silence. Washington must recognize that a radicalized Bangladesh undermines its Indo-Pacific strategy, while New Delhi needs to prepare for the grave security risks that will most likely spill across its borders. Both the United States and India, along with Europe and other democracies, need to speak with one voice: journalism is not a crime, and silencing the press is a betrayal of fundamental shared values.
If Yunus's regime is not challenged now, Bangladesh will not just lose its democracy -- it will proceed to export instability across South Asia. The world seriously needs to act-- without hesitation -- before the voice of freedom in Bangladesh is silenced, perhaps forever.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an award-winning journalist, writer, and Editor of the newspaper Blitz. He specializes in counterterrorism and regional geopolitics. Follow him on X: @Salah_Shoaib
