Sampadak Parishad condemns arrest of  journalists under Digital Security Act

Sampadak Parishad condemns the recent spate of cases and arrest of editors, journalists, writers, university teachers, under the Digital Security Act for expressing critical views about mismanagement in dealing with Covid-19.

It also expresses grave concern about the deteriorating environment for free and independent journalism and increasing instances of police action against media professionals.  

In a statement on Tuesday, Sampadak Parishad said that in the last few months, close to 40 journalists were charged under the hated Digital Security Act, out of whom 37 have been arrested. 

These arrests have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation making normal journalistic work extremely risky if not nearly impossible.

This attack on journalists and the media is occurring when Bangladesh, in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, needs reliable and independent media the most to protect itself from fake news and panic generated by misinformation. 

The Bangladeshi media is playing a vital role in keeping the people informed, publishing news of successes and hope, pointing out inadequacies of our pandemic response, and facilitating public dialogue to map out our course for rebuilding. An attack on the media at this time is to endanger our possibility of stable recovery.

"We also notice with deep concern that the Digital Security Act has become a most frequently used law when more time tested laws to dispense justice exist in our statutes," the statement further reads.  

This is because under the Digital Security Act, police can arrest without warrant, and most of the provisions (14 out of 20) are non-bailable which ensures the person arrested remains in jail.  

Some of the frequently cited reasons for arrests under the Digital Security Act are criticising the local administration, spreading rumours, covering protests, making defamatory remarks, harming religious harmony, writing false news etc. 

These reasons for arrest are by definition vague and subject to wide and arbitrary interpretation.

The Digital Security Act empowers the police to arrest on suspicion and without a warrant. 

Out of its 20 provisions of punishment, 14 are non-bailable and as such whenever a case is lodged police promptly arrest, and when an accused is brought before a magistrate he or she is almost automatically sent to jail.

Sampadak Parishad feels that the Digital Security Act has become a plaything in the hands of a vested quarter who use this anti-press and anti-freedom of expression law whimsically and at will to harass and intimidate journalists and to prevent them from exposing corruption and misuse of funds that the government is presently allocating for the people, especially the poor. 

From the outset, Sampadak Parishad opposed this law as we knew of its evil consequences on free media and freedom of speech. At that time the law minister assured the media that the Digital Security Act was enacted only to prevent cyber-crime and will never be used to curtain freedom of the press. 

Statistics show that more journalists, teachers, and intellectuals have been arrested under this act than cyber criminals, especially in the last six months.

"Given our original objection and the experience of the last two and half years we are more convinced than ever that the DSA must be scrapped if freedom of speech and freedom of the press is to have any meaning," the statement reads.

The Sampadak Parishad demanded that use of the dreaded Digital Security Act against the media and journalists must be stopped immediately, and urges parliament to take expeditious steps to remove this anti-freedom law from our statutes.

It also demands the immediate release of all journalists arrested under the Digital Security Act and withdrawal of cases against them, and measures be taken against the people who have blatantly misused this law for vengeance and personal gain.