Academics and activists at a webinar on Tuesday urged the government to halt the trials of cases filed under the Digital Security Act, which has been replaced by the Cyber Security Act, until an independent body is set up to scrutinise the merits of the cases.
They also alleged that the formerly DSA had been used as a weapon for repressing voices critical to the government and various mismanagement and corruption.
The Centre for Governance Studies organised the webinar titled ‘The Perpetual Misery: The Plight of the Accused under the Digital Security Act 2018 in Bangladesh’ to discuss the experience of the victims and the dimensions of the newly adopted CSA 2023.
Ali Riaz, a distinguished professor at Illinois State University, United States, was key speaker at the webinar.
Referring to a parliament speech of law minister Anisul Huq, Ali Riaz said that the minister mentioned over 7,000 cases filed under DSA but did not mention the number of arrests and charges, prosecutions, convictions, pretrial detainees, and total incarcerated individuals.
He said that an independent body should be formed to investigate the merit of the cases before going for further trial.
Rumky Farhana, senior programme officer at Article 19 Bangladesh and South Asia, seconded the recommendations placed by Ali Riaz and demanded the cases filed under the DSA be dismissed, justice for the victims of the act, and legal steps against those who had been abusing the act.
Faruq Faisel, the executive director at Ain o Salish Kendra, believed that the DSA provided safety to a political party when it should had provided safety to the actual owner of the state — the citizens.
Didarul Islam Bhuiyan, a political activist and co-founder of the DSA Victims Network, shared his horrific experience of enforced disappearance before being prosecuted under DSA. He said that writer Mushtaq Ahmed was killed after he was denied bail six times.
He called for providing compensation to the victims who were prosecuted, tortured or harassed only for expressing their opinion.
Rayhan Kabir, a lawyer at Rangpur Judge Court, said the people were losing trust in the judicial system of Bangladesh due to the arbitrary application of the law.
Mymensingh-based human rights activist Md Abdul Kaium said he was tortured and kept in illegal confinement for 48 hours before being produced in the court just because of his human rights activism.
He alleged that the government used the DSA to silence critics and to benefit ruling quarters.
While chairing the webinar, Manjur A Chowdhury, chairman of the CGS, said whether it was the DSA or the CSA, the law had shrunk the freedom of expression.
‘We are boiled frogs in this situation and there is no salvation.’
Zillur Rahman, the executive director of CGS, moderated the programme.
News Courtesy:
https://www.newagebd.net/article/221817/suspension-of-dsa-cases-independent-scrutiny-urged