66 writers demand justice for Mushtaq, abolition of DSA

Sixty-six writers of Bangladesh have issued a statement demanding justice for the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in jail custody and abolition of Digital Security Act (DSA).

Stating that criticising the government is a citizen's right in any civilised country, they -- in the statement -- said that this law (DSA) is contradictory to 39th amendment of Bangladesh's constitution and the Right to Information Act.

The DSA also goes against human rights, they added.

Their four demands are:

1. The government has to accept responsibility for the death of Mushtaq. The persons responsible for the death have to be identified through proper investigation and punished.

2. Cases against cartoonist Ahmed Kishore and others under the DSA must be withdrawn unconditionally.

3. DSA is an anti-people and oppressive act. That's why it must be abolished, not reformed.

4. Unconditional release of those arrested and detained for protesting Mushtaq's death must be ensured.

The 66 writers who signed the statement include Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq, Daud Haidar, Anwara Syed Huq, Jatin Sarkar, Anu Muhammad, Shamim Azad, Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, Imtiar Shamim, Ahmed Rafiq, Kaberi Gayen and others.