Release Anisha Siddika for son’s Facebook post, Amnesty decries

Staff Reporter :
Amnesty International has called upon immediate release of Anisha Siddika, a 58-year-old woman, who was reportedly taken into custody due to her son’s critical Facebook post regarding the trial and conviction of an opposition politician by Bangladesh’s controversial International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

“The Bangladeshi authorities are showing an alarming trend of intolerance towards those expressing opposing views, both in online and offline spaces.

Arresting a mother immediately after her son’s social media post criticising the government is ludicrous and a new low in Bangladesh, where endless reports of arbitrary detention of opposition politicians and activists in the lead up to next year’s general election has created a climate of fear and distrust,” Babu Ram Pant, acting Deputy Regional Director of Campaigns for South Asia said in a statement on Thursday.

“Bangladeshi authorities must release Anisha Siddika immediately or promptly charge her with a recognizable offence, in accordance with international standards.

They must also urgently stop their practice of arbitrarily detaining people solely for their dissenting views.

It is not a crime to hold and express different political opinions,” he said.

He further said, “Instead of targeting critical voices, the authorities must ensure that people are able to exercise their human rights prior to, during and after the election, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, without fear of reprisal or discrimination.”