Editorial Desk :
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), the Editors’ Council (Sampadak Parishad) has demanded the scrapping of the Digital Security Act (DSA) and other repressive laws to ensure freedom of expression and media freedom. That free media is the cornerstone of democracy can hardly be overemphasised. But do we have democracy?
The DSA has always been in the attention of journalists and human rights activists since its creation for its unreasonable clauses, vague terms and conditions, but in this election year, the government, as unpopular and detached from people as it could be, has become so sensitive and intolerant about political opposition and press freedom that this most controversial Act is now being recurrently used.
Not long ago, within the span of a few days, several court cases were filed against journalists under this hugely controversial Act. On the instance of Jasmine Sultana’s death in the RAB custody, the law minister himself admitted that the Act was ‘abused’. If a law can be abused or be a cause of death of a person, then it has to be admitted at the same time that the law is fundamentally flawed.
This controversial law not only faced opposition from inside the country, various international bodies including the UN as well as human rights groups have consistently criticised it. The present law minister several times agreed to the demand of reforming the law. Despite that shocking application of the Act is taking place in the country which is very dangerous.
Sultana Jasmine’s death in RAB custody and arrest of a journalist as well as filing of court cases against the editor of a leading Bengali daily sparked a renewed call to repeal or reform the law in the recent days. Reacting to this very unwelcome development the UNHRC head, Volker Turk, urged Bangladesh authorities to immediately suspend the law in unequivocal terms.
In a statement he said that the Digital Security Act was being used across Bangladesh to arrest, harass and intimidate journalists and human rights defenders, and to muzzle critical voices online. Volker Turk also urged the authorities to impose an immediate moratorium on its use and to reform comprehensively its provisions to bring them in line with the requirements of international human rights law.
We want to see the Digital Security Act removed but we think we should go deep into the matter. This government continues to be in power by defrauding the election defying the very foundation of the democratic Constitution. Then the government has no reason to worry about criticism coming from whichever sources! We have to be honest and ask the question when journalists engage themselves openly as activists of political parties, can we still call it press freedom? If we cannot save the democratic Constitution and ensure free election, then the press freedom cannot survive in isolation.
