Faridul Mostafa Khan is a Bangladeshi journalist, editor, and publisher. He is the owner and editor of the widely circulated daily CoxâÂÂs Bazar Bani and the online news portal Janatar Bani.
He came to national attention in 2019 after publishing reports alleging corruption and misconduct by former Teknaf police officer Pradeep Kumar Das. Following his reporting, several criminal cases were filed against him, and he was detained for nearly eleven months. International press freedom organisations raised concerns regarding his detention.
Faridul founded CoxâÂÂs Bazar Bani and later launched the online portal Janatar Bani. In 2019, he published investigative reports concerning alleged extortion and intimidation by police officers in Teknaf. He has also written opinion pieces and has participated in various social and humanitarian activities, according to local media reports.
On 19 September 2019, Faridul was arrested in Dhaka after cases were filed against him by Pradeep Kumar Das. According to Reporters Without Borders, he was transferred to Teknaf and allegedly subjected to torture while in custody.
He remained detained without trial for nearly eleven months and was granted bail on 27 August 2020 by a Cox's Bazar court.
Police later filed additional cases against him under drug and weapons laws, which rights groups criticised as retaliation for his reporting.
After his release, Faridul filed a case against Pradeep Kumar Das and other police officers, alleging torture and fabrication of charges.
He later testified in proceedings related to the Murder of Major Sinha Mohammed Rashed Khan.
Reporters Without Borders called for the charges against him to be dropped and expressed concern over press freedom in Bangladesh.
The United States Department of State referenced his case in its 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in the context of press freedom and allegations of arbitrary detention.
In 2023, Faridul announced his intention to seek nomination from the Awami League for the 12th National Parliament Election from the Cox's Bazar-4 constituency.