Transparency International Bangladesh on Wednesday urged the government to repeal the section 57 of ICT Act for ensuring constitutional rights of the people.
It also called to review some sections of the proposed Digital Security Act 2018 for the same reason.
“It is highly needed to review and repeal the sections for ensuring constitutional right to express views by the people and mass media activists,” TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said it in a statement on the eve of the World Free Press Day to be observed in Bangladesh and all over the world on May 3.
The TIB Executive Director said, “The sections 8, 21, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32, 43 and 58 of the proposed Digital Security Act will create greater risk of insecurity for expressing opinion
freely for the common people and for practicing basic human rights of both the media workers and mass people if the act comes into effect without proper reviews.”
The proposed Digital Security Act is contradictory to the constitutional right of freedom to express and the ideology of the Liberation War, he added.
He said, “Section 57 has already created panic among the social media users and mainstream media workers resulting in self-censorship, which is an obstacle of people’s right to express.”
He also said, under the act it is impossible to reveal information of irregularities and corruptions of different offices and individuals.
In these circumstances, such corruption will spread wider, he added.
“The government needs to discuss about the draft act with the stakeholders of media,” he said.
He said, the Intellectual society, mass people and mass media as well as government have significant role to play to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
“In these views, a proper environment is to be ensured for the mass media activists to play their role as a supporting strength for the government without feeling any insecurity.
He also urged the parliamentary committee to play positive and active role in reviewing and amending the Digital Security Act.
