M M Jasim :
Politicians, academics and the journalists on Tuesday strongly criticized the draft Digital Security Bill-2018 the cabinet approved on Monday. They held the view that the digital security law would impair press freedom and impede people’s fundamental rights.
The Section 32 of the draft law mentions that if any person keeps, sends or preserves any secret information by intruding into any government, semi-government, autonomous or statutory body through computers, digital machines, computer or digital networks or any electronic medium, the activity will be regarded as a computer or digital espionage crime.
Such offence will carry a maximum jail term of 14 years or a fine of Tk 25 lakh or both. It will be more dangerous that section 57 under existing ICT law.
Before the ICT act was amended in 2013, the maximum punishment for offences under section 57 was 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Tk 1 crore. Besides, police had to seek permission from the authorities concerned to file a case and arrest any person under the law.
But through the amendment, the maximum jail term was raised to 14 years, and law enforcers were empowered to make arrests without a warrant.
Electronic transaction beyond lawful authority has been defined as a punishable offence under the law, for which an offender can be punished with a five-year jail term and a fine of Tk 5 lakh.
President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and CEO of ETV Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul told The New Nation on Tuesday that they were worried that if such law was enacted it would curtail the freedom of expression as the government has already failed to contain misuses of section 57.
He urged the government to consult further with journalists, academics and human rights activities before placing the bill in Parliament.
President of BFUJ (another portion) Shauwkat Mahmud said, the draft law goes against the fundamental rights of the people.
According to the Rights to Information Act-2009 the government, semi-government, private offices are bound to give information to the people. But the draft law is contradictory with the Rights to Information Act, Shauwkat Mahmud said.
He said, the law discourages investigative journalism and saves corrupts persons in the country.
“We request the government not to pass the law in the Parliament in the interest of free press and protecting people’s right, he said.
Shauwkat Mahmud said, we are watching the matter now. We will launch tough movement if the government does not heed to our demands.
Dhaka University professor Fahmidul Haq said that it seems the government did not want the people to exercise freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, BNP leaders on Tuesday alleged that the ‘Digital Security Bill’ approved by the Cabinet will hamper the press freedom and freedom of expression as it has been framed with the ‘spirit of Baksal’.
“The press freedom and freedom of expression will be snatched through the act as they (Awami League) did it at first by introducing Baksal. The government is indirectly following the path of Baksal,” said BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
He came up with the allegation while speaking at a discussion arranged by Bangladesh Ganotantrik Sangskritik Jote at the Jatiya Press Club.
Opposing the Bill, Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee member, said the new law will be more dangerous than the section 57 of the ICT Act. “We strongly condemn and protest the approval of the Bill in the Cabinet.”
BNP Senior Joint-Secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi termed the Bill anti-democratic and mediaeval one.
At a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, he urged the government not to pass the bill in parliament.
“The Digital Security Bill will be considered as a black law. The mass media will lose its freedom while people will lose their freedom of expression if the Bill is passed,” he said.
He alleged that the government has formulated the Bill so that journalists cannot write against it or about its corruption. “Journalists will be harassed by it like section 57 of the ICT Act.”
He also said freedom of expression will become a criminal offence while democratic forces will be treated as criminals if the Bill is passed. “We urge government to refrain from passing the Bill in parliament.”
The Information and Communication Technology Division placed the draft in the weekly Cabinet meeting Monday chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Tejgaon office amidst outcries from the journalist community to abolish the section 57 having scope of misinterpretation, under which many, including journalists, would be prosecuted for Facebook posts and news reports.
The new draft law stipulates maximum 14 years of imprisonment and Tk 1 crore in fine for spreading propaganda against the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 1971 Liberation War through electronic media or any other digital device.
