Bangladesh authorities must end the crackdown on people’s rights to freedom of expression online and urgently repeal the Digital Security Act (DSA) unless it can be amended in compliance with international human rights law and standards, say rights experts. According to a report published in the news media on Tuesday, as of July 2021, Bangladesh has at least 433 people imprisoned under the DSA; most of whom are held on allegations of publishing false and offensive information online. But the rights experts say in this era of Internet and social media, this law is designed to keep people’s mouths shut and take control of their creativity.
The UK-based rights body Amnesty International, which organised a virtual discussion on Monday on the theme “No Space for Dissent”, has examined cases under the DSA – a law that contains overboard and vague provisions granting the authorities extensive powers to police the online space against 10 individuals who have been subjected to a wide range of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture, simply for criticising powerful people on social media. The rights body recommended that the government immediately repeal the law or amend it if it wanted to gain the trust of the international community. The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression also alleged that those who have been targeted include writers, journalists, cartoonists, musicians, activists, entrepreneurs, students and even farmers who cannot read or write.
Introduced in 2018, increasing use of the DSA is alleged to stifle dissent on social media, websites, and other digital platforms, with punishments that can extend to life imprisonment. The authorities are said to target critical voices under the pretext that they have made false, offensive, derogatory or defamatory statements online. But the DSA cases turned down by the Cyber Tribunal demonstrates the way in which powerful people have weaponised the law to silence the dissent. The libel and defamation law is now a relic of our colonial past, though many countries have already decriminalised this. The UN High Commissioner has also asked for the decriminalisation of the law. But there has not been any response yet from the Bangladesh government. This draconian law has created panic among the people. Because of this law, the international image of the country is also being tarnished.
