Bangladesh: Protect journalists during the election

ARTICLE 19 and 21 other organisations have issued a joint submission to the Election Commission of Bangladesh (ECB) and UNESCO Bangladesh to highlight concerns and provide recommendations regarding the safety, protection, and working conditions of journalists during the electoral period and on election day, scheduled for 12 February 2026.

This submission is offered in a spirit of constructive engagement and aims to support Bangladesh’s constitutional and international obligations to ensure free, fair, and inclusive elections, with particular emphasis on the protection of journalists and the guarantee of unhindered, independent media coverage.

Well-informed voters are fundamental to the credibility of any electoral process. Access to accurate and timely information about electoral procedures and political party platforms depends on the free flow of information. Freedom of opinion and expression is therefore a cornerstone of democratic societies and a prerequisite for free and fair elections, as well as for meaningful and representative public and political discourse.

Within this context, journalists play an indispensable public watchdog role during elections by informing voters, scrutinising electoral processes, and documenting irregularities and abuses. Independent, pluralistic, and unhindered media coverage is essential to safeguarding election integrity and ensuring democratic accountability.

During election periods, States bear a heightened obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil journalists’ rights, including their safety, freedom of movement, and equal access to information and public spaces. International best practice recognises journalist safety not as a logistical concern, but as a core component of credible and legitimate elections.

Restrictive election context and structural barriers

Election periods in Bangladesh have repeatedly been characterised by restrictive security measures, excessive administrative discretion, and weak accountability¹. These conditions disproportionately affect local journalists, freelancers, online journalists and community reporters, as well as women journalists, often excluding them from meaningful participation in election coverage².

Existing election-related guidelines and practices in Bangladesh do not adequately address these risks, resulting in arbitrary restrictions on movement and access, inconsistent accreditation, and limited protection against violence or harassment.

Absence of clear safety guarantees

The absence of clear, election-specific protocols from the Election Commission to prevent or respond to attacks on journalists, and the lack of effective mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable, create an environment of impunity and risk for those reporting on electoral matters. Without protocols that clearly commit to journalist safety and outline enforcement actions when violations occur — such as sanctions for physical attacks, obstruction at polling sites, or denial of access — journalists lack institutional assurance that they can operate without fear of harm or obstruction.³

In practice, many journalists anticipate physical attacks, harassment, and intimidation during the election and while reporting on it, with one recent study finding that a vast majority expect such threats in the lead-up to national elections.⁴ When there is no credible public enforcement by the ECB or other authorities to prevent these attacks or to investigate and punish offenders, journalists often choose to avoid sensitive topics or critical reporting to protect themselves from violence, reputation damage, or obstruction. This results in self-censorship, where crucial issues related to electoral fairness, irregularities, or political violence go unreported or underreported because journalists cannot rely on systemic protection or redress.⁵

In Bangladesh’s polarised election environment, the lack of robust safety protocols and accountability on behalf of election bodies signals to media professionals that the risks of reporting freely are high and consequences for holding powerful actors to account are low — further entrenching a chilling effect on independent election reporting.⁶

Violence against journalists during and after elections

Journalists covering elections in Bangladesh face heightened risks of violence, including physical attacks, threats, harassment, arbitrary detention, seizure of equipment, and reprisals linked to their reporting. These risks are most acute when journalists are reporting from polling stations on election day, as well as during vote counting, the announcement of results, and the immediate post-election period, when political tensions often escalate.

International experience demonstrates that violence against journalists frequently continues after election day. Post-election reporting on alleged irregularities, protests, security operations, and accountability processes often exposes journalists to retaliation by political actors, security forces, or non-state groups. The absence of preventive measures and effective investigations contributes to a climate of impunity.

The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity⁷ explicitly recognises elections as periods of heightened risk and calls on States to adopt preventive, protective, and prosecutorial measures before, during, and after elections. UNESCO has further emphasised that violence, intimidation, and harassment of journalists undermine democratic processes and violate freedom of expression, regardless of whether perpetrators are State or non-State actors.⁸

The UN Human Rights Committee, in General Comment No. 34, affirms that States must take positive measures to protect journalists against attacks and intimidation, including when such acts are committed by private individuals. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Restrictions on freedom of movement

Current election guidelines impose blanket bans on public transport on election day and require special vehicle passes, significantly constraining journalists’ ability to carry out their professional duties. Journalistic movement becomes dependent on administrative discretion rather than professional necessity, disproportionately excluding local journalists and freelancers without institutional resources or private vehicles.

International and regional standards affirm that journalists must be exempt from general movement restrictions during elections, as freedom of movement is essential to effective election coverage.⁹

Mobility and security restrictions have a disproportionate impact on women journalists. Many lack access to private vehicles due to economic, structural, and socio-cultural barriers. In addition, safety concerns and social norms further limit their mobility.

As a result, election-day transport and security arrangements function as indirect discrimination, undermining gender equality in media participation and violating Bangladesh’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)¹⁰. International best practice requires gender-responsive election frameworks that address both physical and digital risks faced by women journalists.

Exclusionary accreditation practices

Election accreditation systems tend to privilege large, capital-based media outlets while excluding freelancers, stringers, online journalists, and community reporters. Accreditation criteria are often opaque and inconsistently applied.

In practice, lack of accreditation results in denial of access to polling centres, exclusion from transport facilitation, and refusal of protection or assistance by law enforcement. Accreditation thus operates as a gatekeeping tool rather than a facilitative mechanism, contrary to international standards.

Concentration of discretionary authority and lack of remedy

On election day, local administrative officials, law enforcement personnel, and executive magistrates exercise wide and largely unchecked powers over journalists’ movement and access. Decisions are often arbitrary, unexplained, and effectively unreviewable in real time.

There is no independent or rapid redress mechanism through which journalists can challenge obstruction, harassment, or violence, leaving them without remedy when violations occur.

Omission in the 2025 election media guideline

The Guideline for Journalists/Media Workers for Collecting Election News 2025 requires election-duty training on journalists’ rights for polling officials but excludes law enforcement agencies and executive magistrates, despite their coercive powers and central role in access control and enforcement.

This omission significantly undermines the effectiveness of the guideline, as journalists are more likely to face obstruction or intimidation from security forces than from polling officials.

International standards and comparative best practices

International human rights law clearly establishes that the safety, mobility, and operational independence of journalists during elections are integral to democratic governance.

The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, UNESCO Journalists’ Safety Indicators, General Comment No. 34, and CEDAW collectively require States to ensure journalist protection, freedom of movement, inclusive accreditation, gender-responsive measures, and effective accountability mechanisms.

Comparative practices from countries such as Mexico¹¹ and Colombia¹² demonstrate the value of election-period safety mechanisms that include risk assessment, coordination between electoral authorities and security agencies, rapid response systems, and post-election monitoring of reprisals.

Regional bodies, including the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media¹³ and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights¹⁴, have affirmed that journalists must be exempt from general movement restrictions and protected from reprisals related to election coverage.

Key demands for the safety of journalists

We urge the Election Commission of Bangladesh, with the support of UNESCO Bangladesh, to:

Explicitly recognise journalist safety, mobility, and access as essential components of election integrity
Extend mandatory election-duty training on journalists’ rights to security forces and magistrates
Exempt journalists from blanket transport restrictions on election day
Establish a transparent, centralised, and inclusive vehicle pass system
Adopt gender-responsive transport and safety measures
Issue binding instructions to law enforcement agencies and executive magistrates to facilitate and protect journalists
Reform accreditation systems to be inclusive, transparent, and non-discriminatory
Establish an independent, real-time election-day complaints and redress mechanism
Ensure prompt, independent investigation and accountability for all acts of violence against journalists, including post-election reprisals

Ensuring the safety, mobility, and equal access of journalists – particularly local, freelance, and women journalists – is fundamental to democratic accountability and the public’s right to information. Without urgent, rights-based reforms, significant segments of the media risk exclusion, intimidation, or silence during and after the 12 February 2026 election.

We therefore urge the Election Commission of Bangladesh and UNESCO Bangladesh to take prompt and concrete action, in line with international human rights law and best practices, to guarantee that all journalists can carry out their professional duties freely and safely throughout the entire electoral cycle.

Endorsed by:

ARTICLE 19

Free Press Unlimited

Noboprobhaat Foundation

DHRUBA

CWF

CMKS

Daily Nawroj

Prokriti Songrokkhon & Unnoyon Songstha

Switch Bangladesh Foundation

Abalamban

Dataful

SPS Pabna

Radio Mahananda 98.8fm

Ajker Arban

Chandradip Development Society (CDS)

Report71.com

Samajik Unnayan Sangshta (SUS)

Daily Dhaka Times

The Daily Probaha

Radio Nalta 99.2 FM

DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY

Badabon Sangho

1
Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL). Pre-Election Assessment Mission Report: Bangladesh National Parliamentary Election 2025. December 2025. Accessed January 8, 2026. https://anfrel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ANFREL-Bangladesh-PEAM-2025-ol.pdf.
2
bdnews24.com.. Journalists Face Rising Threats in Election: Study. December 2025. Accessed January 8, 2026. https://bdnews24.com/media-en/32a05bf807fe.
3
EC Urged to Revise Journalists’ Code of Conduct for Election Coverage,* The Business Standard*, November 9, 2025, https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/journalists-delegation-meets-cec-discuss-election-coverage-guidelines-1280736.
4
The Business Standard. “89% Journalists Fear Physical Attacks During 2026 Election Coverage: Study.” December 6, 2025. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/89-journalists-fear-physical-attacks-2026-election-coverage-study-1303171.
5
National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI). NDI/IRI Joint Technical Assessment Mission (TAM): Final Report, March 2024. Washington, DC: NDI and IRI, 2024. https://www.iri.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1.-NDI-IRI-Joint-Technical-Assessment-Mission-Report.pdf.
6
The Business Standard. “89% Journalists Fear Physical Attacks During 2026 Election Coverage: Study.” December 6, 2025. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/89-journalists-fear-physical-attacks-2026-election-coverage-study-1303171.
7
United Nations. Safety of Journalists. Accessed January 8, 2026. https://www.un.org/en/safety-journalists.
8
UNESCO. Supporting Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and the Safety of Journalists. UNESCO, January 14, 2021. Accessed January 2026. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/supporting-freedom-expression-access-information-and-safety-journalists.
9
United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights. Please see more: United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights.United Nations Human Rights Committee. “General Comment No. 25: The Right to Participate in Public Affairs, Voting Rights and the Right of Equal Access to Public Service.” United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no-25-right-participate-public-affairs. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. “Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE.” OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/14304. African Union. “African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.” African Union. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://au.int/en/treaties/african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights.
10
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Accessed January 8, 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cedaw.
11
Committee to Protect Journalists. “Mexico Elections 2021: Journalist Safety Kit.” Committee to Protect Journalists. April 15, 2021. Accessed January 8, 2026. https://cpj.org/2021/04/mexico-elections-2021-journalist-safety-kit/.
12
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.” UNESCO. 2012. Accessed January 8, 2026. https://www.unesco.org/en/safety-journalists/un-plan-action.
13
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. “OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/18 on the Safety of Journalists.” Adopted at the Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Milan, December 7, 2018. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.osce.org/sites/default/files/mcdec0003%20safety%20of%20journalists%20en.pdf.
14
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.” UNESCO. 2012. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.unesco.org/en/safety-journalists/un-plan-action.