The State Department says 90 Americans are unaccounted for in Nepal and China, while three have been rescued in Nepal. It said it was not aware of any U.S. deaths.

The catastrophic flash floods occurred along the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region, authorities in Nepal said.

, The greatest number of bodies, 221, has been recovered in the Chitwan district, the police said, dozens of miles downstream from the hardest-hit areas.

Rescue operations have resumed in both China and Nepal after they were briefly suspended amid fears of renewed flooding. In China, where a mudslide hit a land crossing between Nepal and Tibet’s Gyirong County, authorities said five people were dead and 558 others were missing, including 260 foreigners.

The US State Department has urged U.S. citizens “currently in, or recently traveling through Rasuwa or another affected area” to get in touch.

Citizens in the flood-hit areas should “email KathmanduACS@state.gov with your full name, current location, status, and name of tour or trekking company,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said relatives seeking information about family members in Nepal “should call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free from the United States and Canada, or 1-202-501-4444 from other locations.”

Those seeking information about family members in China “should call 010-8531 4000 from China or 011-86-10-8531 4000 from the United States,” the spokesperson added.

The U.S. Embassy in Nepal said a range of supplies requested by the Nepali government is being delivered. The emergency supplies include food, blankets, mosquito nets and insulating foam sheets for temporary shelter flooring.

The U.S. embassies in Nepal and China are working closely with local tour agencies and local authorities to assist Americans in the affected areas as Nepali-led search-and-rescue operations continue, the spokesperson said. Around 90 Americans are thought to have been affected by the floods, and so far three Americans have been rescued.

Nepal Police reported yet another rise in the death toll today, which now stands at 553 people.The area with the highest number of bodies recovered remains Chitwan, far downstream from the hardest-hit areas. The number of people injured and rescued stands at nearly 1,500, police said.

Nepali authorities say they’re monitoring two lakes upstream from the main flood zone, one of which began overflowing today, according to Reuters, which quoted a disaster management authority official.

The official said that flood risks will remain until the two lakes are fully drained. The exact location and number of these lakes are unclear due to cloudy satellite imagery and the presence of several river bodies and valleys.

More than 90,000 people are believed to be affected by the Himalayan landslide, the Red Cross said as fears of additional flooding grew.

“We’re of course very concerned about the secondary flood,” David Fisher, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, said today, according to Reuters.

He said trucks carrying relief supplies had also been blocked after the banks of a lake formed by the landslide broke.

The deadly torrent followed a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, which is home to many of the world’s highest peaks and a high concentration of glaciers.  Hundreds of foreign tourists are among those who remain missing in the area, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims.

Nepal’s hard-hit district of Rasuwa has been reconnected to the national road network, aiding rescue efforts as hundreds of people remain missing. The road connecting Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, to the town of Dhunche in Rasuwa has reopened for four-wheeled light vehicles, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.

Rasuwa, on Nepal’s northern border with China, suffered some of the worst damage in this week’s catastrophic flooding, which swept away multiple bridges and 25 miles of road, cutting off thousands of people.

Rescue operations have resumed after being briefly suspended early today amid fears of new flooding from a lake that formed as a result of Wednesday’s glacial collapse and subsequent flash floods. Chinese officials said today that the death toll in Gyirong County had increased to five from three. The number of people missing remained at 558, including 260 foreign nationals.

Scores of bodies recovered along the banks of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers have been brought to the city of Pokhara on Phewa Lake in central Nepal for identification, officials said.

Both Nepal and China were forced to temporarily suspend rescue operations today amid concerns about new flood risks following the catastrophic glacial collapse this week.

Indian nationals missing numbers update

There are 320 Indian nationals missing after the mudslide and flood disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border, the Indian Foreign Ministry said, up from 288 reported yesterday.

“Please do keep in mind that we are in a dynamic situation, so figures keep going up and down,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a news conference. “Also, we have to reconcile several lists that we are dealing with.”

Jaiswal said that 21 Indian nationals from the state of Tamil Nadu who arrived yesterday in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, from the flood-affected area were now in Delhi and that 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli-1 hydropower project had also been rescued.

He said there were also about 100 people of Indian origin who remained unreachable, many of whom were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a high-altitude site in Tibet that is revered by Hindus and Buddhists. On the Chinese side, 400 Indian nationals are now safe and have been in touch with their families, Jaiswal said.

As of Friday afternoon local time, 121 foreign travelers have been rescued, the Nepal Tourism Board said, including 85 from India, 16 from China, nine from South Korea and two from the U.S.

They also include two each from Russia and Italy, one each from Bulgaria and Switzerland, and three whose nationalities have not been confirmed.

China’s Xi sends condolences to president of Nepal

Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Nepali President Ramchandra Padel, as both of their countries continued to search for hundreds of missing people.

“Xi emphasized that China is making every effort to search for the missing, relocate and shelter affected residents, treat the injured promptly, minimize casualties, and prevent secondary disasters,” Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, reported.

Xi also presided over a meeting of China’s Politburo to direct rescue work, where officials called for stronger dynamic monitoring and early-warning capabilities and improved ability to identify risks along disaster chains, Xinhua said.

At least 39 Australians are missing after the Nepal-China floods, the Australian government said, up from an earlier estimate of 34.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong also said Australia was providing 5 million Australian dollars ($3.6 million) in humanitarian assistance.

“The extraordinary scale of this disaster and the remoteness of the affected region mean immense challenges lie ahead for the response and recovery,” she said in a statement today.

The floodwaters that smashed through Nepali villages Wednesday are the latest in a series of catastrophic events in the Himalayas associated with rising temperatures and shifting high alpine ice and rock.

About 30 Canadians and permanent residents are missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal and the Tibet region, the Canadian government said.

“Given the extremely difficult circumstances on the ground, this number will fluctuate as new information comes in,” it said in a statement yesterday.

Today, Nepal and China said the lake on the Tibet side, which is just 7 miles upstream of the Gyirong border crossing that was entirely wiped out on Wednesday, was leaking water. The lake is carrying over 2 million cubic meters of water and formed around 3,000 feet above the border crossing. Chinese authorities said yesterday that rainfall could more than double the size of the lake in the next three days.

Both countries said today that rescue operations had been temporarily suspended.

Nepal refuses foreign rescue help

Hundreds of foreign nationals are still missing, including from India, South Korea, Australia and the United States. But Nepal said it was managing the rescue efforts.

Nepal government said it does not need international assistance with search-and-rescue operations following the devastating flash flood, despite offers of help from several countries with nationals missing in the disaster.

 “The offer for help is ​natural. Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help,” Lok Bahadur Chhetri, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said today without providing further details.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the death toll from a mudslide and flood disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border had risen to five, up from three earlier. The number of people who are unaccounted for remains the same at 558, including 260 foreigners.

Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also said both sides had confirmed the cause of the disaster as a high-altitude glacial collapse. Chinese rescue efforts are concentrated in Tibet’s Gyirong County, which was hit by a mudslide at a land crossing between China and Nepal.

The Himalayan region — which includes Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, China and Afghanistan — is among the places most vulnerable to climate change in the world, with temperatures rising faster than the global average. Rising temperatures are accelerating glacial melt, further destabilizing a region that is already prone to floods, landslides and earthquakes.

They could also increase the likelihood of glacial collapses, like the one that occurred yesterday. The disaster is thought to have begun when a massive amount of ice and rock crashed into the valley below,

UN U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal

“The roads are destroyed and so it’s extremely, extremely difficult to have access,” Lila Pieters Yahia, the U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal, said at a news conference. “We have electricity which has been disrupted, about 10% in the total area. And in total, we have about 10,000 households, which are in immediate need.”

About 25 miles of road have been damaged, she said.

“The government has established a relief fund, and already the World Bank, India, China and the U.S. have committed to pledge $229 million to support,” she said, adding that the U.N. is also providing $2 million from its humanitarian relief fund for immediate assistance.

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“The lake change — ‘Lake of America’ — was something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” said Trump, who was flanked by two large boards that depicted the label “Lake America.”
 The executive order to renaming Lake Ontario will be “effective immediately.”

President Trump signed the executive order amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada. Trump calls Canada ‘one of the worst countries’ to deal with. Negotiations between the countries broke down over the weekend and a fresh round of 50% U.S. tariffs on some Canadian goods took effect on Saturday, leading Canada to retaliate with a set of its own levies.

“The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They’re nasty people,” President Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. “People oftentimes they’ll ask me who’s the worst to deal with on trade, and I said that’s easy, Canada. They are the worst to trade, and they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that.”

When asked by a reporter about what his message is with the name change, the president said he has “no message,” but did criticize Canada.

“No message, as you knows, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly,” Trump said.

Asked why he is focused on doing things like this to America’s allies rather than focusing on other issues, Trump cited his belief that Canada has treated the U.S. “very badly” with regards to trade for many years — an argument he has used as justification for the sweeping tariffs he has imposed upon America’s northern neighbor.

In social media posts over the past few days, Trump has repeatedly suggested he would change the name of the lake on the U.S.-Canada border.

The president can unilaterally change a geographic name for official U.S. federal government use, like his action via executive order in January of 2025 renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” However, he can’t dictate what other countries or international bodies call it.

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The Wall Street Journal was first to report the purpose of the trip.

President Donald Trump confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit earlier Wednesday in an interview with Glenn Beck, but called the visit “semi-routine.” When asked if it had to do with increased Russian aggression against NATO or the increased Iranian economic pressure, Trump claimed it was none of those reasons.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Ratcliffe was in contact with Russian intelligence agencies but did not meet with Putin.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow earlier this week in part to warn Russia not to attack NATO countries. John Ratcliffe also brought up Iran during the meetings in Moscow, according to the ABC news.

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Authorities in Bihar said they had evacuated about 5,000 people from six districts and planned to evacuate a total of 10,000 to 12,000 people. Police and military were joining in the rescue effort, said Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

“Instructions have been given … to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places,” he said. “People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert.”

The German Research Center for Geosciences said there was a 4.4-magnitude quake approximately seven minutes before the time shown on the security video timestamp.

“An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of ice and rock triggered a debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 12 miles northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing,” Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on X.

The catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side killed at least 157 people and left ‌hundreds of tourists missing he said. In the affected areas, houses, trees and vehicles were seen submerged or buried in mudslides. Helicopters hovered overhead all day in the area bringing in survivors. A wall of mud and rock appeared to collapse into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China’s Tibet.

Rescue helicopters could not land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said, with the river flowing above its normal course.

Authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction, as verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with Houses, roads and power projects. Officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a border land crossing.

The office of Nepal’s prime minister said that 484 tourists were missing, of whom 391 were foreigners and 93 Nepalese. Among missing persons, according a tourism board spokesperson Sunil Sharma, 133 were from India 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada. Indians were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus, he said. But the numbers of missing local people were unknown or were not clear.

The US State Department spokesperson said it “is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation.”

Canada was also closely following the situation, said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on X, calling the floods “absolutely devastating.”

China’s state broadcaster said three people were killed and 265 others remain missing in Gyirong, the first casualty figures provided for the Chinese side of the border. It said the toll was ‌still being verified and rescue efforts were ongoing.

President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” search efforts for the missing as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said the mudslide hit the Gyirong port, cutting roads, communications and power links in the Shigatse region near the border.

The Chinese military has dispatched drones to conduct damage assessments, a statement said, adding it was ⁠organizing transport aircraft, helicopters and other equipment to be on standby for rescue operations.

South Korea separately said that eight of its nationals working on a ‌hydropower plant were missing.

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In an Interview with JiJi press Sheikh Hasina claiming Tareq Rahman Government ‘tried in every way to silence my voice’said,She is the elected leader of the people but the government deactivated her mobile phone’s sim card.

Sheikh Hasina’s interview with JiJi press read as follows;

Emphasises ‘own decision’ to return home in December = Does not deny contact with India — Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh=

【New Delhi, Jiji : Former Prime Minister Ms Hasina, who fled to India following the 2024 anti-government protests in Bangladesh, responded to a written interview with Jiji Press by 21 August. Regarding her previously announced plan to return to her homeland in December, she emphasised that she had made “my own decision’ out of a ‘responsibility to the people of Bangladesh’. She also stated that she had ‘not meant to create tension’ in bilateral relations over her return. When asked whether she had already held discussions with the Indian authorities regarding her return, she stated that ‘it is not necessary to make every communication public’, whilst not going so far as to deny them. On the 5th of this month, marking two years since she fled to India, Ms Hasina took part online in a press conference held in New Delhi. The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its displeasure at the Indian government for not preventing the press conference. Furthermore, it has demanded her extradition, as she has been sentenced to death in connection with the killing of a demonstrator, and relations between the two countries have become strained.

In the interview, Ms Hasina criticised the Rahman administration in Bangladesh, claiming that ‘tried in every way to silence my voice’. She asserted that ‘my mobile phone SIM card has been deactivated’. She went on to retort: ‘I am the elected leader of the people of Bangladesh. Speaking about their suffering, their rights, their security, democracy and the rule of law is not only my right .Is is my responsibility.’ She explained that she had chosen ‘December’ because it is the ‘month of victory’, marking the victory in the War of Independence from Pakistan in 1971. She stated that she was ‘not afraid of what happen to me’ upon his return. She described Japan, a major donor to Bangladesh, as a ‘true friend’ and expressed her gratitude. (End)

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In June, a federal judge blocked Trump’s bid to impose the six-figure fee, concluding that it was an unlawful “tax” that required congressional approval.

The Department of Homeland Security revived the proposal on Monday, submitting it online in the Federal Register to be officially published on Tuesday, when a 30-day public-comment period will commence. And the administration is now proposing $103,265 for all new H-1B visa petitions.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a DHS department, said  in a statement ,the payments would support “immigration programs that otherwise must be funded by taxpayers,” according to USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler.

According to Monday’s proposal, the fee would help generate revenue to fund immigration activities carried out by federal agencies including Customs and Border Protection and ICE. DHS said there may be “a reduction in the number of H-1B cap registrations and some employers, including small entities, may file fewer petitions as a result of this proposed rule.” But it concluded that the fee was “appropriate.”

President Trump first proposed payments of $100,000 as a presidential proclamation in September 2025 in an effort to prioritize American workers, and overhaul the H-1B program that allows companies and organizations to hire foreign workers for specialized, high-skill roles.

The White House has also said the fee would help curb misuse of the H-1B program, accusing U.S. employers of undercutting American workers with lower-paid foreign labor.

H-1B approvals are capped at 85,000 per year, with 20,000 spots for people with advanced degrees. Nearly 400,000 petitions, most of which were for renewal, were approved in fiscal year 2024. The majority of H-1B workers come from India, with the second-most common birthplace being China.

The proposal is part of a sweeping effort by the administration to restrict various immigration programs and make it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to get residency or asylum. In January, the State Department paused immigrant visas from 75 countries, a ban that was struck down by a federal judge on Friday.

The administration has  faced multiple lawsuits by labor unions, research universities and dozens of states over the new fee, saying that it would significantly curb U.S. employers’ ability to hire global talent, decimate hospitals with already skeleton staff and upend the tech industry, which relies on foreign-born AI researchers and coders.

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“Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” he said. The administration is calling the measures “Operation Economic Outcast.”

Secretary Bessent called “its enablers.”

Bessent, though did not name China in his introductory remarks on Monday criticized the country last week for historically buying about 90% of Iran’s oil. China is Iran’s biggest oil customer.

When a reporter asked whether Chinese banks could be targeted by the administration’s new measures, Bessent said, “We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.”

“The president is making phone calls to world leaders with specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime,” Treasury Secretary Bessent said. “We are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior.”

He wouldn’t spell out a timeline of when Iran’s biggest trade partners — including China — could face secondary sanctions. “Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?” he said.

A statement from the Treasury Department said that among the targets of Monday’s sanctions is “a network of brokers, companies, and shadow fleet vessels operating across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Switzerland, Europe, and other regions to transport Iranian oil and channel revenue to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC‑QF) and other regime elements.”

The Trump administration has been calling this “D-Day” for the Iranian economy. The Treasury said it has mapped out “networks, facilitators and financial channels” that enable Iran.

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“On Trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst Nations in the World to deal with,” Trump said his social media platform on Monday. “They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!”

The moves come after negotiations between Canada and the U.S. broke down over the weekend.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued blistering remarks about the U.S. approach to trade negotiations. He said talks broke down after American negotiators made requests that were unfavorable to Canada.

“They asked too much and offered too little,” Carney said at a Saturday press conference. He criticized the Trump administration, saying it “uses economic integration as a weapon.”

 A fresh round of 50% U.S. tariffs on some Canadian goods took effect on Saturday, prompting a vow from Canada to retaliate with a set of its own levies.

According to the Canada Prime Minister Carney, the 50% tariff would be applied to roughly $28 billion of Canadian goods and that Canada would match the U.S. “dollar for dollar.” Canada’s retaliatory tariffs would go into effect on Sept. 8 and more details will be revealed later, the prime minister said on Saturday.

Mark Carney noted that one of the sticking points was changes by the U.S. over its levels of tariffs on automobiles that he claimed would have hurt Canada’s economy over time.

The latest announcement from Trump promised to double tariffs from 25% to 50% on Canadian cars and auto parts starting on Jan. 1, 2027. The elevated levy will also apply to steel and trucks, according to the president.

According to the Census Bureau  data, In the first half of 2026, the U.S. exported $175.8 billion in goods to Canada — the second biggest export trading partner after Mexico — accounting for 14% of all U.S. exports.

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“July was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine in over four years, with at least 437 killed and more than 2,600 injured”, Tom fletcher said . In the first half of the year, civilian casualties rose 37 per cent compared to last year.

Undersecretary General Fletcher on Monday briefed the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. In the Briefing, Undersecretary general urge to defend the international humanitarian law with three urgent measures by the UN security council. First, Civilians and civilian objects must never be targeted. Violations must be credibly investigated, perpetrators held accountable. Impunity cannot be normalized and taking concrete measures that protect humanitarian action, including systems for responding to strikes near convoys, for improved humanitarian notification and for temporary ceasefires for evacuations.

Second, help humanitarians prepare for the tough winter ahead. If energy infrastructure continues to be targeted, we face the prospect of a much worse humanitarian crisis. Do not allow the international discourse on this war to be dominated by an arms race. And work strenuously to get peaceful commerce moving again across the Black Sea.

And the third, we need robust debate with the States and companies driving this lethal military innovation. The onus of compliance remains with those who develop, deploy and use these systems.

“Drone warfare is dismantling civilian life” Undersecretary General Fletcher told the Security Council giving first hand witness.

Describing the devastating impact of this war Fletcher told the Security Council, “Technology is now outpacing accountability. Abandon the rules of war and we all face the chilling reality the Ukrainians face right now. And they need this war to end above all.”

Expressing concerns of danger by modern tech, he said, Drone operators appear to feel detached from their victims and from the law. But neither the weapon nor the distance diminishes the unequivocal obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL), regardless of the weapon or the party, to protect civilians and civilian objects.

“Drones have a persistent humanitarian impact. Civilians live in constant anxiety, knowing drones are being used to track, observe and strike them with little warning,” Fletcher told.

Humanitarian workers face these same dangers and require the same protection.

Between January and July, ten humanitarian workers were killed in Ukraine and almost 40 injured. At least 20 warehouses have been destroyed, erasing millions of dollars in aid. UN convoys have been struck, evacuation vehicles hit while attempting to save civilians.

While humanitarian operations in Ukraine are better supported than other crises, they remain underfunded“ Fletcher told ‘we need a stronger bridge to long-term recovery.’

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The Commonwealth Journalists Association calls upon the Government of Bangladesh and the judicial authorities to ensure that journalism is not treated as a criminal activity and those journalists are not punished for performing their professional responsibilities.

The organization has repeatedly expressed concern over the prolonged detention and prosecution of journalists in Bangladesh.

The statement further said, “The use of an International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute journalists for their professional conduct sets an extremely disturbing precedent for press freedom in Bangladesh.”

“Journalists must be held accountable for genuine criminal acts where credible evidence exists, but they cannot be criminalized simply for asking questions, reporting events or being perceived as politically sympathetic to one side or another,” it said.

 “The CJA is particularly alarmed by the apparent basis of the allegations against the journalists,” CJA said posting pictures of three journalists, Shyamal Dutta, former editor of Bhorer Kagoj and Vice President of the Commonwealth Journalists Association; Mozammel Haq Babu, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Ekattor TV; and Farzana Rupa, Chief Correspondent of Ekattor TV.

According to the prosecution, the case relates, among other things, to a press conference held by then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on July 14, 2024, during which journalists allegedly made “provocative remarks” while asking questions. Questioning a political leader at a press conference, however contentious the questions may be, is a fundamental part of a journalist’s professional duty.”  It cannot, in itself, constitute a crime against humanity CJA said.

The CJA also has expressed deep concerns about the humanitarian circumstances surrounding their detention. Shyamal Dutta, Mozammel Haq Babu and Farzana Rupa have already spent a prolonged period in custody, despite serious questions over the evidence against them and the failure, according to reports, to file charge sheets substantiating the original allegations within the prescribed legal framework.  Dutta has documented cardiac and severe sleep apnoea conditions requiring medical assessment and treatment. Babu underwent major surgery for prostate cancer in late 2023 and reportedly requires continuing medical care. These circumstances make the continued incarceration of the three journalists all the more troubling.

 The CJA urges the authorities to review the proceedings against Dutta, Babu and Rupa with the utmost urgency, ensure due process and credible evidentiary standards, and release them unless there is clear and demonstrable evidence of an independently established criminal offence.

The CJA issued statement in response to the latest legal moves against journalists in Bangladesh read as follows:

“The Commonwealth Journalists Association strongly condemns the decision of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Monday, August 24, 2026, to order three senior journalists to continue to be held in jail until their case comes to trial in connection with a “crimes against humanity” case relating to the July, 2024 uprising.

The journalists, pictured above, are Shyamal Dutta, former editor of Bhorer Kagoj and Vice President of the Commonwealth Journalists Association; Mozammel Haq Babu, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Ekattor TV; and Farzana Rupa, Chief Correspondent of Ekattor TV.

The CJA is particularly alarmed by the apparent basis of the allegations against the journalists. According to the prosecution, the case relates, among other things, to a press conference held by then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on July 14, 2024, during which journalists allegedly made “provocative remarks” while asking questions.

Questioning a political leader at a press conference, however contentious the questions may be, is a fundamental part of a journalist’s professional duty. It cannot, in itself, constitute a crime against humanity.

The use of an International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute journalists for their professional conduct sets an extremely disturbing precedent for press freedom in Bangladesh. Journalists must be held accountable for genuine criminal acts where credible evidence exists, but they cannot be criminalised simply for asking questions, reporting events or being perceived as politically sympathetic to one side or another.

“The CJA calls upon the Government of Bangladesh and the judicial authorities to ensure that journalism is not treated as a criminal activity … “

The CJA has repeatedly expressed concern over the prolonged detention and prosecution of journalists in Bangladesh. Shyamal Dutta, Mozammel Haq Babu and Farzana Rupa have already spent a prolonged period in custody, despite serious questions over the evidence against them and the failure, according to reports, to file charge sheets substantiating the original allegations within the prescribed legal framework.

The CJA is also deeply concerned about the humanitarian circumstances surrounding their detention. Dutta has documented cardiac and severe sleep apnoea conditions requiring medical assessment and treatment. Babu underwent major surgery for prostate cancer in late 2023 and reportedly requires continuing medical care.

These circumstances make the continued incarceration of the three journalists all the more troubling.

The CJA calls upon the Government of Bangladesh and the judicial authorities to ensure that journalism is not treated as a criminal activity and that journalists are not punished for performing their professional responsibilities.

The CJA urges the authorities to review the proceedings against Dutta, Babu and Rupa with the utmost urgency, ensure due process and credible evidentiary standards, and release them unless there is clear and demonstrable evidence of an independently established criminal offence.

The independence of the media is not a privilege granted by governments. It is an essential condition of a democratic society.

The CJA stands in solidarity with Shyamal Dutta, Mozammel Haq Babu, Farzana Rupa and all journalists in Bangladesh who seek only to perform their professional duties without fear of arrest, imprisonment or political retribution.”

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