“Freedom of the press is not only crucial to democracy; it is democracy.”
— Walter Cronkite
Amid a South Asian continent hemmed in by political turbulence, institutional censorship, and shrinking civic space, there’s some good news coming out of Bangladesh. The country crossed a new threshold with the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, released by the globally renowned watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Moving up 16 ranks from last year, Bangladesh has gained a place among the world’s top 150 nations on press freedom—a rank not seen since 2018.
This ascent is more than a number; it is the first sign of potential reform. It is a ray of hope amidst an era when media freedoms throughout the globe continue to be besieged, a delicate but resplendent peek at a fissure in this South Asian nation. It is a result, in considerable measure, of the efforts of Bangladesh’s Interim Government led by Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, whose early policy initiatives have acted to relieve the pressure of decades-long force, intimidation, and judicial harassment.
This article analyzes the main factors behind Bangladesh’s recent 16-place improvement in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index and what this success says regarding the changing dynamics of media freedom within Bangladesh. It also puts Bangladesh’s record in the regional and international context by comparing the country with regional neighbors in South Asia, most of whom are still under increasing repression.
Press Freedom in South Asia: Bangladesh’s Small Gain Over Regional Decline
Bangladesh has demonstrated small but appreciable improvement in the latest World Press Freedom Index report of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) of 2025, in a region that has witnessed declining freedom of the press under increased authoritarianism and silencing of media voices. Bangladesh ranks ahead of India, Pakistan, and Bhutan at 149 out of 180 countries. Although still in the “Very Serious” category, the nation’s trend is a most welcome and unprecedented direction higher on press freedom, a striking contrast to the regional pattern of democratic retreat and repression of the media.
This development should, however, be measured against the comparative regional context. India, once the world’s largest democracy, now ranks 151. The nation is experiencing a persistent decline in press freedom due to state-sponsored media harassment, online surveillance, and harassment of dissident journalists. Pakistan, decreasing further to 158th rank, is facing an even more vicious suppression of independent journalism, with repression that is both state-conceived and structural. While placed relatively higher than India at 152nd rank, Bhutan remains plagued by limited access to independent media and a state-dominated information environment.
In contrast, Nepal is the press freedom champion in South Asia, ranking 95. It boasts a relatively safe arrangement for journalistic activities, facilitating moderate freedoms. Sri Lanka, ranking 136, still has issues but has avoided the precipitous fall that its larger South Asian counterparts have faced. The Maldives, ranking 120, enjoys a stable and moderately free media landscape accommodating some openness despite political fragility. At the bottom is Afghanistan, whose Taliban revival plunged the nation back into a journalistic dark age. Ranked 178, its press is bound, intimidated, and practically voiceless under an oppressive government.
Restoring Trust: Key Steps That Have Led to the Improvement
RSF and independent media monitors agree that the following concrete steps have helped Bangladesh improve in rank:
- Precipitous fall in physical attacks against journalists: Unlike the high rates in 2023 and 2022, 2024 saw a steep fall in attacks, threats, and enforced disappearances of journalists, particularly during political protests or election reporting.
- Restoration of institutional instruments of investigative reporting: The Yunus administration has restored mechanisms of editorial independence in state media and compelled the private press to restart coverage of contentious issues such as corruption, public contracting, and political accountability.
- Digital Governance Revolution: A Turning Point for Press Freedom and Citizens’ Rights in Bangladesh. One of the most path-breaking steps initiated by the Dr. Muhammad Yunus-led Interim Government has been the far-reaching overhaul of Bangladesh’s cyber communications and access to information legislation. In a dramatic and visionary move, the government initiated a review of the highly contentious Digital Security Act (DSA), which had been long accused of enabling censorship and mass arrest of journalists and human rights activists. This change has revolutionized online space, making it safer and allowing space for online journalism, particularly for independent bloggers, digital media, and investigative journalists.
The essence of this shift comes through the repeal of nine controversial sections of the 2023 Cyber Security Act. This legislative turnabout will, by default, result in the withdrawal of up to 95% of all outstanding cases filed under the now-abolished provisions. The government has also strengthened the punishment for false filing of cases, maintaining the doctrine of accountability and deterrence against the abuse of legal instruments. Of importance, the revised Cyber Security Ordinance uses less stringent punishment, makes most offenses bailable offenses, and empowers magistrates to dispose of the cases where evidence is lacking—thereby streamlining justice and preventing procedural abuse.
These changes are all part of a larger embrace of digital rights, with internet access now formally articulated as a right of citizenship. At the same time, the ordinance bans online gambling, criminalizes sexual harassment and online violence against women and children, and—for the first time in South Asia—makes the adoption of artificial intelligence for criminal purposes an offense by law.
Perhaps most significant for press freedom, the Interim Government has ended politically motivated legal harassment. It has released numerous journalists who were earlier detained and imposed a moratorium on new defamation and cybercrime charges against media workers until they could be examined in their entirety under law. This daring change is a profound step toward restoring public confidence in the administration of justice and ensuring the justice system’s duty to protect, not prosecute, members of the press.
As Bangladesh moves forward, these reforms represent an escalation of dedication to democratic governance, freedom of the Internet, and constituent freedoms of speech and expression in the Internet era.
Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ Leadership: Rights-Based Governance
Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, known globally for his social justice and inclusive development philosophy, has applied a rights-based approach to governance during his tenure as Chief Adviser. His administration renewed the statement that freedom of speech is a right, not a privilege, a cornerstone of democracy. “Democracy cannot survive without light. Freedom and neutrality in the media are the oxygen that continue to keep breathing,” Dr. Yunus recently stated in a speech to the National Media Roundtable.
During its time in office, Bangladesh saw the inception of multi-stakeholder talks between journalists, civil society, and the police, eventually forming a National Commission for Media Freedom and Safety. Though it is still in its infancy, the organization is responsible for monitoring cases of abuse of press freedom and recommending policy steps to safeguard it.
The Broader Impact: Rebuilding International Credibility
Bangladesh’s better ranking on the RSF list has had a positive diplomatic dividend. As symbolized by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the global human rights community has greeted the Interim Government’s initial efforts towards democratic re-launch and institutionally-backed accountability.
Foreign missions, including those of Canada and the European Union, have seen the recent media reforms as “positive signs” in anticipation of the country’s next election cycle. The reforms also reignited foreign direct investment interest, where transparency and freedom of the press are determinants of high political stability.
A Moment of Opportunity, Not Closure
Bangladesh’s advancement in the Press Freedom Index during Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ Interim Government is a welcome milestone but not a destination to be attained. It is a moment of opportunity—a window of opportunity to plant bulwarks that successive governments eroded. At the advent of its transition period, the country must realize that press freedom cannot be symbolic or episodic. It must be structural, backed by the law, and fueled by political will. With ongoing reforms, broad-based dialogue, and a vibrant civil society, Bangladesh can build on this success, taking it further and becoming a regional media freedom leader in South Asia.
A Sensitive but Viable Change of Direction for Bangladesh: A Path Toward Sustainable Press Freedom
Bangladesh’s 16-place leap into the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index is a welcome and hopeful milestone, particularly on a continent where media independence continues to be challenged. But the event must be seen not as an arrival but as a hesitant, halting first step along a long, winding road toward permanent press freedom.
This progress, though welcome, follows decades of worsening press freedoms, arbitrary detentions, internet monitoring, and institutionalized quashing of opposition voices. The upgrading of the rankings is a sign of initial efforts—some launched by the current Interim Government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus—to introduce some degree of media freedom. Yet it is also a sober reminder that they are still precarious and reversible if more meaningful structural reforms are not energetically sought.
To sustain this momentum, Bangladesh must now:
- Move beyond surface-level reform and abolish or amend repressive laws, particularly the highly-criticized Digital Security Act, which continues to suppress free speech and promote selective prosecutions.
- Guarantee editorial independence for Dhaka-based dailies and regional and rural media outlets, where reporters remain open to coercion, intimidation, and political influence.
- Strengthen the legal protection of journalists in an independent judiciary that can immediately remedy violations of freedom of the press.
- Invest in media pluralism by supporting community journalism, protecting whistleblowers, and creating a public-interest reporting culture free from fear.
Bangladesh is at a crossroads of history today. It can lapse into the old pattern of terror and censorship, or it can seize this moment of opportunity to transform itself into a shining example of South Asian democratic media governance—a model for how freedom of the press can be regained, even after decades of suppression.
Government institutions, civil society, the media, journalists, and the international community are not the sole stakeholders responsible for making this march progress persistent, consolidated, and protected.
As Thomas Jefferson wisely warned, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Bangladesh has finally begun to open the door to freedom. Now, it merely requires the courage to walk through it—not just for journalists but for the very life of its democracy.
Defending Progress: The Press Wing and the Struggle for Transparent Governance
This starkly contrasts the overall regional trend of muzzling the media. Yet, Bangladesh’s steady yet substantial progress under the Interim Government of Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus deserves to be praised. Central to this development is the government’s Press Wing being proactive and having emerged as an irreplaceable institution for promoting transparency, making access to credible information available, and securing the guiding principles of press freedom. In a world where the truth is the first casualty of political upheavals, the Press Wing has worked towards bridging the gap between government and people through transparent communication and the involvement of journalists.
Ironically, as much as these efforts deserve praise, the Press Wing has been subject to unwarranted reproach from some political parties, media outlets, and armchair critics. These institution critics accuse it of narrative propaganda and manipulation, charges that are unwarranted and extremely self-contradictory. The criticism ignores the structural change and the communicative openness the Press Wing has attempted to establish. As George Orwell pointed out, “Freedom of the press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose.” And it is precisely this same principle that the Press Wing seeks to maintain—not by stifling criticism, but by ensuring informed debate in a climate of ethical journalism.
Therefore, it is essential to draw a sharp line between healthy, democratic critique and politically motivated slander. Whereas democratic institutions must be receptive to critique, efforts aimed at delegitimizing those who fight for transparency and telling the truth only reinforce the weakest points in the democratic norms they purport to defend. The Press Wing’s responsibility is not to act as a shield of impunity but to bring public discussion based on facts, context, and civic duty.
A Call for Unity: Sustaining Bangladesh’s Democratic Momentum
Bangladesh stands at a crossroads—its progress toward democracy and press freedom is fragile but clearly in the right direction. Bangladesh’s incremental movement is an isolated and hopeful light in a neighborhood where most other countries are slipping back toward authoritarianism and media suppression. This process, however tentative, needs to be nurtured—not blocked—by all those who adhere to the universal values of justice, dignity, and freedom of speech.
At the heart of this renaissance in democracy is the pivotal contribution of the Press Wing of the Interim Government under the world-renowned Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Far from being the target of unwarranted attacks and politicized scrutiny, this institution deserves cooperation, support, and constructive criticism. Its efforts to maintain press freedom, raise transparency, and strengthen trust between the media and the state are essential to keeping the country on the progressive path it has achieved.
To undermine such an institution is to jeopardize the very pillars of democratic progress. As our past has shown us, societies prosper when their defenders of truth are strengthened—not muzzled. Now is the hour for coming together, not splintering apart, for support, not demonization. Let us work together, collaborate, and empower those working day in and day out to see that freedom of expression in Bangladesh not merely survives—but flourishes.
In Defense of Integrity: Defending the Truth Against Smear Misinformation
I am deeply dismayed to see the intentional spread of unfounded gossip and vicious falsehoods on a recent Facebook post aimed against an exemplary figure that I have come to personally know since 2014—someone whose integrity, professional commitment, and moral soundness have always remained beyond doubt. She has served in a senior role in the office of Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, and her work has been nothing short of exemplary. Her professional career bears testimony to the tenets of ethical leadership, unflinching commitment, and unwavering belief in truth.
She has grown into one of the most respected and venerated individuals serving Dr. Yunus on the global stage for over a decade. World leaders, international bodies, and civil society organizers have widely acclaimed her work. Her conduct has continued to uphold the dignity and integrity that define Professor Yunus’s global legacy. It signifies not just professional excellence but also an honorable family tradition of public service, civic responsibility, and dignity.
To defame such an individual falsely—without evidence or reason—is not merely a wrong to her but a calculated act to drain the credibility and morale of Dr. Yunus’s office. I doubt that this defamation is unintentional but rather a coordinated effort by interested parties—maybe even including parties associated with outside agencies to discredit Dr. Yunus and destabilize his caretaker government on multiple fronts. These measures are ethical and tactically calculated to erode the trust in an institution that has been a source of social innovation, moral leadership, and international goodwill for decades.
As Abraham Lincoln rightly pointed out, “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” I call on everyone who believes in justice, equity, and moral debate to eschew character politics. Misinformation, if left unchecked, gnaws at the foundation of a just and ethical society.
Let us choose dignity over defamation, truth over distortion, and unity over unfounded suspicion. Let us stand by those who served with humility, grace, and unshakeable courage—and rise in their defense when unjustly maligned. Through this, we safeguard personal honor and stand by the core values that constitute a fair, ethical, and moral society.
To Ms. Lamiya Morshed—your honesty, commitment, and unwavering dedication to the values of Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus inspire countless people in Bangladesh and beyond. The great majority stand together with you, affirming your unimpeachable integrity, professional caliber, and inner strength. May your service long be a beacon of dignity and ethical leadership. Your strength in the face of defamation is admirable and inspiring. Congratulations on standing tall against lies with dignity and determination—the truth and the folks are behind you.