TIB demands abolution of DSA, not amendment

Staff Reporter  :
Amending the Digital Security Act (DSA) is not a proper solution, rather immediate cancelation of this restrictive law is needed, said Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) .
According to the organization, the unacceptability of this Act is not limited to the numerous clauses that violate fundamental rights. Considering the arbitrary misuse of the law and the insecurity that has developed in the media, civil society and the general public in the name of digital security, the organization has called for a new law to be formulated only for the purpose of security of digital infrastructure and its contemporary use in the light of international experience in the relevant sector.
In a statement sent to the media, the executive director of TIB Iftekharuzzaman said, “Through the Digital Security Act, fear and insecurity have been created for the media, civil society and ordinary people in the name of digital security.” We demand the immediate repeal of the Act.
Since its enactment in 2018, arbitrary misuse of various restrictive clauses of the Act has proved beyond doubt that the Act is contrary to the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression.
This law, which takes away the freedom of media and punishes dissidents, is against the spirit of freedom.
The Act has been used as one of the tools to turn a section of the law enforcement agencies into lawbreakers, so arbitrarily to suppress dissent, stifle the voice of the media, torture minorities, late-night pick-ups, arrests with cases after long disappearances, and even custodial torture after arrest.
On the other hand, as this law is widely misused as a strategy to suppress free thought, religious neutrality, non-communal values, this law is also playing a role in the alarming development of communal, fundamentalist and radical fanaticism.
Even though the government is talking about amending this law, there is no other way but to cancel this law completely. There is a need for a law to support safe and healthy use of digital media in an increasingly IT-dependent digital Bangladesh – TIB Executive Director said.