The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged urgent attention from Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Prof. Yunus regarding the plight of journalists imprisoned in the country ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10.

In a letter sent on Monday, CPJ highlighted that four journalists — Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, Mozammel Babu, and Shyamal Dutta — are currently held in prison on murder charges that “lack credible evidence and appear to be in retaliation for their reporting and perceived political affiliations.”

The conditions at Kashimpur Prison were described as dire, with inmates confined to 36-square-foot cells with metal bars instead of doors, exposed to cold and mosquito infestations.

The letter stated that prisoners are forced to sleep on concrete floors without mattresses, food supplied is “insufficient and often inedible,” and medical care is “severely inadequate,” with no permanent doctor on site and serious health conditions untreated for months.

CPJ reminded that, while a committee was formed following a November 2024 interview in which Prof. Yunus acknowledged that murder accusations had been hastily filed, fresh charges have continued to be brought against the imprisoned journalists. Lawyers representing them, including ZI Khan Panna, have also faced legal targeting.

The organization emphasized that freedom of speech is protected under Article 39 of the Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and called on the government to uphold both domestic and international human rights obligations.

CPJ urged that International Human Rights Day be marked by steps “that would allow all journalists imprisoned in Bangladesh to return to their families and resume work.”

The advocacy has reportedly been supported by over 1,500 journalists from more than 100 countries during the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia, who called for an end to impunity for attacks on the press.

The CPJ letter concluded that the Chief Adviser’s attention to the matter would underscore Bangladesh’s commitment to “humane governance, justice, and open public discourse.”