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No Space for Dissent NO SPACE FOR DISSENT BANGLADESH’S CRACKDOWN ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE Amnesty International is a global movement of 10 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. © Amnesty International 2021 Cover: Illustration by Colin Foo Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons (attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives, international 4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode For more information please visit the permissions page on our website: www.amnesty.org Where material is attributed to a copyright owner other than Amnesty International this material is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. First published in 2021 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW, UK Index: ASA 13/4294/2021 Original language: English amnesty.org CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 MUSHTAQ AHMED: WRITER 6 AHMED KABIR KISHORE: CARTOONIST 7 RUHUL AMIN: LABOUR RIGHTS ACTIVIST 8 ABU ZAMAN: FARMER 9 MOHAMMAD EMON: TEENAGE STUDENT 10 RITA DEWAN: FOLK MUSICIAN 11 EMDADUL HAQUE MILON: BUSINESSMAN 12 MOHAMMAD MAHTAB UDDIN TALUKDER: JOURNALIST 13 SHAFIQUL ISLAM KAJOL: PHOTOJOURNALIST 14 DEWAN MAHMUDA AKHTER LITA: POLITICIAN 15 THE DIGITAL SECURITY ACT 2018 16 RECOMMENDATIONS 20 INTRODUCTION People from all walks of life are facing reprisals in Bangladesh simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression online. Journalists, photojournalists, cartoonists, musicians, activists, entrepreneurs, teenage students and a farmer have been subjected to a wide range of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture and in one case even death in prison. Bangladeshi authorities have imprisoned at least 433 backgrounds. The organization found that cases individuals under the country’s draconian Digital Security against eight out of 10 individuals have been filed by Act (DSA), according to the country’s Department of lawmakers, members of ruling Awami League party or Prisons as of 11 July 2021. Most of these prisoners or law enforcement officials. In all these cases, individuals at least 185 individuals are held for allegedly publishing were accused of publishing posts on social media offensive and false information online. that were critical of the government and ruling party politicians, including Bangladesh’s Prime Minister More than 1,300 cases have been filed against about Sheikh Hasina and the country’s de facto founding or 2,000 people under Bangladesh’s draconian Digital first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Security Act (DSA) and nearly 1,000 people have been arrested since the law was enacted in October In one case, a folk musician was accused of “hurting 2018. An analysis of print and online news by Amnesty religious sentiment” for criticising Allah (God). Six out of International shows that more than 100 journalists have 10 cases analysed by the organization featured criminal been sued under the DSA between January 2019 and defamation charges, where the complainant was either July 2021, and at least 40 of them were arrested. a law enforcement official or someone else other than the person said to be defamed. In those cases, the The DSA, a vague and overly broad law, has been authorities also included assumption that social media increasingly used to stifle dissent on social media, posts by the individuals were “about to” deteriorate law websites, and other digital platforms with punishments and order. Satire and criticism were treated as false, that go up to life imprisonment. The authorities have offensive or derogatory information under the law. targeted critical voices under the pretext of containing A law enforcement official told Amnesty International false, offensive, derogatory or defamatory information, that it is their responsibility to contain criticism against and it is being deployed as a tool for repression. the government. Yet, international human rights law Amnesty International analysed a selection of is clear that criticism of the authorities can never be cases against 10 individuals belonging to diverse legitimately punished. Writer Mushtaq Ahmed died in Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore was Labour rights activist Ruhul Amin prison after languishing in pre-trial tortured and held in prison for 10 was arrested for organizing a detention for 10 months solely months for satirizing on Facebook movement in support of jute mill for criticizing the Bangladeshi the Bangladeshi government’s workers and protesting on Facebook government’s response to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed Covid-19 pandemic on Facebook. and making fun of certain in prison. politicians. 4 NO SPACE FOR DISSENT | BANGLADESH'S CRACKDOWN ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE UNDER BANGLADESH’S DRACONIAN DIGITAL SECURITY ACT (DSA) HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST ABOUT > 1,300 CASES 2,000 PEOPLE NEARLY 1,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED SINCE THE LAW WAS ENACTED IN OCTOBER 2018 Farmer Abu Zaman is accused of Mohammad Emon, a high-school Folk musician Rita Dewan has criminal defamation for making student, was detained for sharing a been accused of hurting religious derogatory remarks about one sarcastic Facebook post. sentiment for her criticism of Islam neighbour to others in the in a musical performance uploaded neighbourhood. on YouTube. Photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol Businessman Emdadul Haque Journalist Mohammad Mahtab was detained for seven months Milon was detained for criticizing Uddin Talukder was arrested by and has been charged under the on Facebook the Bangladeshi the police for an unsubstantiated draconian Digital Security Act for his government’s invitation to Indian Facebook post about a lawmaker’s Facebook posts about a well-known Prime Minister Narendra Modi. arrest, despite deleting the post and sex scandal in Bangladesh. posting an apology. Opposition political activist Dewan Mahmuda Akhter Lita has been arrested for campaigning against the ruling party and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on social media. NO SPACE FOR DISSENT | BANGLADESH'S CRACKDOWN ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE 5 MUSHTAQ AHMED WRITER Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, wrote the “Diary of the Crocodile Farmer” and founded the country’s first crocodile farm in 2005. Besides writing and farming, his loving and caring nature made him an affectionate husband, a loving son and brother at home. Outside, his protest and activism against injustice made him a staunch human rights advocate. It is beyond anyone’s comprehension that his criticism of the government would cost him Four of those accused were I suppose that’s why he was writing/ his life, having died in prison arrested in May 2020. Although sharing Covid-19 related stuff on two were released on bail within Facebook,” said Ishrat Ara, elder after more than 10 months the next four months, Mushtaq sister of Mushtaq Ahmed. held without trial. Ahmed and Ahmed Kabir Kishore The authorities accused Mushtaq were denied bail six times. On 26 April 2020, Mushtaq Ahmed of publishing “false” Mushtaq Ahmed died in prison Ahmed wrote an opinion piece information and “propaganda on 25 February 2021, after criticising the role of public officials against the liberation war, the spirit at dealing with the pandemic languishing there for more than of liberation war and father of the in Bangladesh. A week after he 10 months solely for exercising nation,” that could “deteriorate published the piece, on 4 May his right to freedom of expression. law and order” by “supporting or 2020, Bangladesh’s paramilitary Probe reports conducted by organizing crime” under sections force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) the government concluded that 21, 25, 31 and 35 respectively of picked up Mushtaq Ahmed from he died of natural causes and the Digital Security Act. his residence. The authorities only reportedly suffered a heart attack acknowledged his arrest a day inside the prison. In prison, Mushtaq Ahmed used later. He was accused of posting his time writing affectionate Ahmed Kabir Kishore, who was on Facebook comments critical letters to his wife. He got himself released within a week after of Bangladeshi government’s a pen customized with his wife’s Mushtaq Ahmed’s death, said response to the Covid-19 name on it, which he used for his both of them were tortured while pandemic, “rumours” about Sheikh writing. “He would write about his in the custody of one or more state Mujibur Rahman - the de facto or imagination of how he would come security agencies prior to their first president of Bangladesh -, the out from jail, places he would go arrest being officially recorded by country’s war of independence and with her,” said Ishrat Ara. RAB. RAB officials dismissed the “propaganda” tarnishing the image Whenever he called his family allegations of torture by saying to of the state and the government during his time in prison, Mushtaq a local media that “an aggrieved under Bangladesh’s draconian Ahmed shared his concerns about person can say anything.” Digital Security Act. Mushtaq his octogenarian parents and the Ahmed was among 11 people, “He was a free-spirited person risks they faced because of the including Bangladeshi cartoonist who loved his country a lot. pandemic. Less than two months Ahmed Kabir Kishore, who have He was genuinely scared and after the death of Mushtaq Ahmed, been accused in the same case. concerned about Covid-19. his father passed away too. 6 NO SPACE FOR DISSENT | BANGLADESH'S CRACKDOWN ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE AHMED KABIR KISHORE CARTOONIST Ahmed Kabir Kishore, 46, is a prominent Bangladeshi cartoonist known for his critical views of the authorities. Although police records say he was arrested by unit-3 of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-3) on 5 May 2020, the cartoonist has said he was picked up from his the torture he endured, he bled Ahmed Kabir Kishore and six through his right ear.
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