Germany and France’s ambassadors to Bangladesh visited the office of Prothom Alo to express solidarity following last week’s terrorist attack on the media outlet. They called for an independent and transparent investigation to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Acting German Ambassador Anja Karsten and French Ambassador Jean-Marc Ceret-Charle visited Prothom Alo on Tuesday morning. They toured the office, which was set on fire during Thursday’s attack, and strongly condemned the violence, arson, and looting carried out against the media outlet.

On Thursday, armed assailants attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, vandalizing property and setting the buildings on fire. The attacks drew widespread condemnation both nationally and internationally.

French Ambassador Jean-Marc Ceret-Charle said, “We are here to show solidarity with journalists and media workers at Prothom Alo, who are an essential part of democracy. Freedom of the press and independent media are critical to a functioning democracy.”

He added that, as members of the Media Coalition, it is important to demonstrate support for press freedom collectively.

Acting German Ambassador Anja Karsten emphasized that media freedom is essential for a country’s stability, describing it as a crucial pillar of democracy. She noted that access to accurate information is fundamental to democratic governance.

Karsten said, “We want to express our concern about press freedom. The attack on Prothom Alo must be taken seriously. An independent, fair, and transparent investigation is necessary to determine who is responsible.”

She further stressed that media freedom underpins democracy by providing citizens with reliable information, promoting awareness, education, and informed public participation.

Regarding Bangladesh’s upcoming elections, French Ambassador Ceret-Charle highlighted the importance of security: “Our expectation is that Bangladesh holds safe, free, and fair elections, with maximum security to enable participatory democracy. Without security, people cannot freely express their opinions, and safety is a fundamental right.”

Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman welcomed the two ambassadors, while Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif and Managing Editor Anisul Haque also attended the meeting.

In addition, U.S. diplomats, including Public Affairs Counselor Monica Sai and Political Officer James Stewart, visited Prothom Alo on Tuesday afternoon to show support. They met with the editor and strongly condemned the terrorist attack, arson, and looting that occurred on Thursday night.

Human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) also visited the office under the leadership of advisor Mabruk Mohammed. ASK representatives expressed solidarity with the newspaper, stating that attacks on media offices are not only assaults on individual organizations but also direct attacks on freedom of expression and constitutional values. Such incidents create an environment of fear and severely obstruct the normal, safe functioning of journalism. They urged that those responsible must be swiftly, impartially, and effectively investigated and brought under the law.