Journalists in South Asia must speak up loudly for justice and freedom

Three journalists were murdered in Bangladesh last year, and authorities detained four journalists seen as supporters of erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, unseated by the ‘monsoon revolution’ last August after a despotic 15-year rule. The subsequent caretaker government has targeted dozens of journalists, whose reporting was considered favourable toward Hasina’s government, in criminal investigations.

By James McManus Feb 12, 2025

Journalists protesting attacks on media representatives. Photo by Swadhin Das from Pixabay

Journalists had a tough year in 2024. About 361 were incarcerated at one point, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as more and more countries adopted repressive authoritarian laws and practices designed to stifle the media.

Reporting is a difficult, but critically important, job. Reporters are called on to inform the public about conditions in war zones, cover climate catastrophes and uncover corruption. The job is made infinitely more challenging when governments target the press through intimidation, harassment and violence, notes CPJ.

In nearly all cases, governments that repress journalists enjoy impunity. Year after year, jailing journalists for reporting the truth, uncovering corruption and holding those in power to account bears minimal consequences. When governments suppress the media by blocking access to information and bringing bogus charges against reporters, it undermines the rule of law and weakens critically important political and legal institutions that protect individual rights for everyone.

The worst offenders

In 2024, perennial offender China topped the list of nations that imprison journalists (50), followed by Israel (43) and Myanmar (35). The prison census compiled by CPJ is a snapshot of those incarcerated as of 12:01 a.m. on December 1, 2024. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year.

No region of the world is spared from this distressing reality – and South Asia is no exception. All but one of the 13 journalists incarcerated in India were jailed under security laws, says CPJ’s recent prison census.

In Pakistan, three journalists were murdered last year in retaliation for their reporting, reports CPJ, while the number of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances of journalists increased, according to Reporters Without Borders. Press freedom advocates continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding five other killings.

Three journalists were murdered in Bangladesh last year, and authorities detained four journalists seen as supporters of erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, unseated by the ‘monsoon revolution’ last August after a despotic 15-year rule. The subsequent caretaker government has targeted dozens of journalists, whose reporting was considered favourable toward Hasina’s government, in criminal investigations.

Another recent report on the repression of journalists by the South Asian Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), describes 232 press rights violations from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, including eight killings in the region.

While important, it is not enough to simply record and publicize the repressive, violent policies and practices year after year. To do so would be to concede that China, Myanmar, Egypt, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Russia and other regular offenders get a free pass, because it creates a sense that press repression is to be expected in those countries and nothing can be done about it.

In the wake of rising attacks on the press, the United Nations launched a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists more than a decade ago. It covers six initiatives: raising awareness; standard setting and policy making; monitoring and reporting; capacity-building and research. The Plan calls for a comprehensive set of policies that support prevention, protection and prosecution of those who persecute journalists. The success of this initiative is spotty, and it would benefit from greater attention from the UN and news organizations.

Shine a spotlight

The policies of political leaders who are hostile to a free press, in the United States, Russia, Israel, Hungary, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, India and other nations – abetted by tech oligarchs who benefit financially from spreading misinformation and disinformation – points to a difficult short-term environment for the media.

However, shining a spotlight on repressive governments does have an impact. For countries and multinational organizations that respect human rights and the rule of law, such spotlights can exert economic and legal pressure to punish these nations for their repressive practices.

After all, it’s not just journalists that suffer. A broad range of economic activity – tourism, trade, foreign investment - are adversely affected where nations don’t respect the rule of law. Who wants to visit a country where information about safety and access to places and facilities can’t be trusted? Who wants to invest in a country that can’t guarantee contracts and investments will be legally protected from corrupt officials?

Recent changes in social media platforms and technology only serve to further complicate the situation. Sapan News has launched a social media code that helps users engage and share information that is accurate, fair, and helpful in determining facts from lies. It provides tools and guidance to help avoid spreading disinformation and hate-fueled, divisive content.

At the end of 2024, one possible bright spot emerged when rebel forces in Syria ousted President Bashar al-Assad from office. The Syrian people had suffered tremendously under Assad, especially since the Arab Spring-related uprising in 2011.

The CPJ documented 141 journalists killed there between 2011 and 2024, including 23 murders and at least six deaths in government custody. International organizations are pressuring the new government to protect journalists and hold accountable those responsible for the killings.

At least five journalists were imprisoned in Syria at the time of CPJ’s 2023 prison census. It remains to be seen whether a new government can facilitate a more open and civil approach to the press. CPJ will undoubtedly revisit the situation next year to see if conditions have improved.

In mid-January, Qatar, Egypt and the United States announced a settlement to the brutal war in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have so far killed more than 100 journalists in Gaza, along with an estimated 40,000 civilians, and three in Lebanon. This includes at least 22 killed in the course of their work. A cessation of that war would allow media organizations to assess the damage and call to account those responsible for targeting journalists.

Nearly every country in the world claims to respect freedom of the press. That fundamental principle is written into the constitutions and laws of individual nations and multinational organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.

Publicizing individual stories and national data are about the only weapons against anti-press repression as described by CPJ and SAMSN. Every day is the time to speak up – in fact, yell out, and loudly demand justice and freedom for reporters who have been killed and imprisoned for covering war, investigating corruption, and holding autocrats to account for abuses and crimes. In this moment, it's imperative to elevate righteous indignation, reinvigorate a passion for truth telling into the DNA of individual journalists and news organizations, and unite with human rights and pro-democracy forces to protect civil society.

When too many officials are muzzling journalists’ voices, and big tech is allowing bad actors to foment violence and distort reality, it is up to the media and advocates of democracy and liberty to end impunity for government officials and demand justice.

(The author has worked as a journalist in Washington D.C., Hong Kong and Boston. He has been teaching Law & Ethics for Journalists at Emerson College in Boston, since 2017. Views expressed are personal. By special arrangement with Sapan)