The European Union (EU) and its member states on Thursday reiterated their concerns around several provisions of the Digital Security Act 2018 that the Bangladesh Parliament approved on September 19 last.
In joint statement, issued from the office of the EU delegation in Dhaka on September 27, they said the Act unduly restricts the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media and undermine judicial procedural guarantees.
“In its current form, the Act could be used to suppress and criminalise the legitimate exercise of freedoms,” the statement reads.
It states, “We reiterate our concerns and call upon the Government of Bangladesh to continue consultations on this law and pursue the commitments taken during the Universal Periodic Review last May, so as to ensure that the Digital Security Act will be in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Constitution of Bangladesh.”
The signatories to the statement included Head of the EU Delegation Rensje Teerink, Ambassadors Mario Palma of Embassy of the Republic of Italy, D. Álvaro de Salas Giménez de Azcárate of Embassy of Spain, CharlottaSchlyter of Embassy of Sweden, Marie-AnnickBourdin of Embassy of the Republic of France, Peter Fahrenholtz of Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Harry Verweij of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Winnie Estrup Petersen of Royal Danish Embassy, Sidsel Bleken of Royal Norwegian Embassy and RenéHolenstein of Embassy of Switzerland.
Acting High Commissioner of the British High Commission in Dhaka Kanbar Hossein-Bor also a co-signatory to the statement.
