Bangladeshi TV Journalist Found Dead In Dhaka Lake, Raises Concerns Over Press Freedom

The body of 32-year-old Bangladeshi TV journalist Sarah Rahanuma was found in Hatirjheel Lake in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday, as reported by local media.

The tragic discovery has sparked concerns over press freedom in the country, with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son, Wazed, calling it “another brutal attack on freedom of expression in Bangladesh.”

Rahanuma, who worked as a newsroom editor and anchor at Gazi TV, was seen floating in the lake before being retrieved and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where she was declared dead.

Wazed commented on social media, highlighting the secular nature of Gazi TV and noting that its owner, Golam Dastagir Gazi, had been recently arrested.

Before her death, Rahanuma shared a poignant Facebook post addressed to a friend, Fahim Faysal, expressing regret that she could not fulfill their plans together. “It is better to die than to live a life akin to death,” she wrote.

Hatirjheel police have recorded the incident, and her body has been placed in the DMCH morgue, according to Inspector Bachchu Mia, in charge of the hospital’s outpost.