Chatham House vs. Reality: The disconnect in Muhammad Yunus’ Bangladesh

On June 11, 2025, Muhammad Yunus addressed Chatham House with confidence. Speaking at one of the world’s most respected foreign policy institutions, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate declared that journalists in Bangladesh “have never enjoyed such freedoms.” But this statement, intended to project stability and reform, sits in stark contradiction with three independent and credible sources: a joint letter from major human rights organisations in March, an investigative exposé by DW Bangla, and an official warning issued by United Nations experts in June. Together, these sources suggest that Yunus’s government is not ushering in a new era of press freedom—but is instead reproducing many of the repressive tactics it claims to reject.

March 2025 Joint Letter: Early Red Flags

On March 24, 2025, a coalition of human rights organisations—Fortify Rights, Amnesty International, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)—issued a joint letter warning the interim government to protect freedom of expression. The letter, addressed directly to the authorities under Muhammad Yunus’s leadership, documents a series of incidents involving arrests, intimidation, and harassment of journalists, student protesters, and civil society activists.

The signatories expressed alarm at the government’s continued use of the discredited Digital Security Act (DSA) and colonial-era Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure—both of which allow for vague, preventive detentions. Of particular concern was the interim government's push for a new Cyber Protection Ordinance, which, according to the letter, replicates many of the same overly broad provisions found in the DSA. The letter emphasises that these legal tools have been used arbitrarily and systematically to silence dissenting voices, including members of the press.

While the document does not include precise figures, it identifies a growing pattern of media repression, including the revocation of press credentials and the opening of criminal investigations into reporters. The organisations called on the government to release detainees, drop politically motivated charges, and enact safeguards for journalists. Yunus’s Chatham House speech made no reference to this letter or the growing international concern it reflected.

DW Bangla: A Detailed Record of Media Repression

In a report published shortly after Yunus’s Chatham House appearance, DW Bangla examined the realities facing Bangladeshi journalists under the interim government. The investigation directly challenged Yunus’s claim that journalists “can say anything they want,” documenting the arrest, detention, and legal harassment of dozens of reporters—many of whom had been covering anti-government protests and police actions.

Among the most striking revelations were instances of journalists being charged with murder and crimes against humanity—serious accusations the report described as legally dubious and politically motivated. DW Bangla found that several detained journalists had been denied bail and were being held under extended remand, with little access to legal counsel. Some faced trials in special tribunals, far removed from standard due process norms.

The report also detailed non-judicial harassment: press accreditations revoked without explanation, financial audits targeting media organisations, and orchestrated campaigns of violence against journalists in the field. The investigation concluded that the government had “created a controlled press environment,” using both formal laws and informal threats to curtail independent reporting.

UN Experts Break Silence: International Scrutiny Intensifies

On May 7, 2025, The Daily Star published a report quoting a May 1 joint statement by three United Nations Special Rapporteurs. Their message was unequivocal: the interim government’s actions constitute a “serious threat” to press freedom in Bangladesh.

The UN experts condemned the detention of over 140 journalists since August 2024 and highlighted specific cases, including the arrests of Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed, a prominent journalist couple. Both were charged with murder in connection to the July 2024 unrest—a charge the UN experts described as troubling, particularly in light of due process violations. According to their statement, the pair had been held without trial and denied meaningful access to legal defence.

The experts called on the Yunus administration to “immediately release all journalists detained without due process” and to end the use of repressive legislation to silence the press. Their intervention marked a rare and public rebuke by the United Nations, signifying the depth of international concern about the trajectory of Yunus’s interim government.

Chatham House Spin

Despite this growing body of evidence, Yunus used his Chatham House appearance to promote a narrative of liberalisation and reform. He claimed that his administration had broken decisively with the repressive legacy of the Hasina government, portraying Bangladesh as a place where the media now operates freely and journalists are no longer under threat.

The venue was not incidental. Chatham House offers international legitimacy, and Yunus appeared intent on leveraging his personal prestige and Nobel status to reassure foreign governments and donors. Yet, as the DW investigation, joint NGO letter, and UN warning collectively demonstrate, this narrative is not supported by facts on the ground.

His statement—that “journalists have never enjoyed such freedoms”—was not only inaccurate, but dangerously misleading. It masks the continued use of draconian laws, shields state agencies from accountability, and erodes the credibility of his administration at home and abroad. For journalists currently imprisoned or working under threat, this sort of international spin only deepens the dissonance between official rhetoric and lived reality.

Conclusion

Muhammad Yunus’s portrayal of a press-friendly Bangladesh collapses under scrutiny. The March letter from rights organisations raised early alarms. DW Bangla confirmed systemic abuse through investigative reporting. The United Nations made its concerns public in a rare, direct condemnation. And yet, Yunus used his Chatham House platform to deny what many journalists and observers see plainly: press freedom in Bangladesh remains under attack.

This is not a matter of perception or political nuance—it is a matter of fact. And for as long as these facts are ignored or concealed, any talk of reform under Yunus will remain hollow.