Dhaka, Bangladesh – May 15, 2025
Veteran journalist Shariful Alam Chowdhury has once again become the target of a violent and life-threatening attack, raising grave concerns for press freedom and journalist safety in Bangladesh.
On May 12, 2025, while covering a legal story at the Comilla District Court premises, Chowdhury was viciously assaulted by a group of unidentified assailants. The attackers fractured his right leg and left arm, leaving him critically injured and without access to proper medical care.
This is not the first time Chowdhury has faced such violence. On July 4, 2020, he was dragged from his home in Kaziatal village and brutally beaten by local political operatives allegedly under the direction of the Union Parishad chairman. That attack left both of his legs and arms broken, requiring six major surgeries and the insertion of titanium rods and plates. Doctors had advised removal of these metal implants within six months. However, due to lack of funds, the procedures were never completed.
Since the 2020 assault, Chowdhury has been forced to live away from his home village, fearing further attacks. He has remained in hiding for nearly five years, unable to return home or resume normal life. Now, this most recent attack has pushed him deeper into physical and emotional despair.
Currently, Shariful Alam Chowdhury lies on a hospital corridor in Dhaka, unattended and untreated, as he cannot afford the medical bills. His condition is rapidly deteriorating, and he urgently needs surgery, rehabilitation, and safe shelter.
The Bangladesh Mofossol Sangbadik Forum (BMSF) has strongly condemned the attack, calling for immediate justice and protection for the journalist. Yet, state protection remains absent, and his attackers continue to enjoy impunity.
This case is yet another grim reminder of the extreme risks journalists face in Bangladesh simply for doing their job.
Journalism should not be a death sentence.
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