Dec 22 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's top media editors warned on Monday that threats against journalists have escalated into a fight for survival, after the killing of a prominent youth leader triggered violent attacks on newspaper offices last week.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, a leading figure in last year's student-led uprising that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka while launching his campaign for February's parliamentary election. He died on Thursday in a Singapore hospital.
His killing sparked widespread protests that spiraled into arson and vandalism targeting major media outlets and cultural institutions. Offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo were among those attacked.
Assailants accused the newspapers of "serving the interests of India and Sheikh Hasina," allegations editors strongly denied. Hasina fled to India after her ouster and remains in New Delhi despite Dhaka seeking her extradition.
At a protest meeting organized by the Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh, The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said journalists were receiving explicit death threats.
"On social media, we have seen messages saying journalists of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo should be hunted down and killed in their homes," Anam said."Freedom of expression is no longer the main issue. Now it is about the right to stay alive."
Bangladesh ranks 149th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Rights groups say continued attacks on journalists and activists could further shrink civic space ahead of the election.
Editors' Council president and New Age editor Nurul Kabir, who was assaulted while trying to rescue colleagues, accused the attackers of attempting to burn journalists alive inside their offices.
Bangladesh is governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and is due to elect a new parliament on February 12. The interim government blamed the violence on fringe elements and vowed full justice for the attacks.
Police have identified 31 suspects and arrested nine in connection with the assaults, Yunus' press office said on Monday.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by YP Rajesh and Ros Russell)
