No one will be harassed by Digital Security Act: Anisul

Law Minister Anisul Huq today said no one will be harassed due to the Digital Security Act unlike the section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act.

Freedom of expression has not been assassinated and will not be hampered under the proposed Digital Security Act, 2018, he said while talking to reporters at his secretariat office in Dhaka.

He also added that if anyone does not commit any offence mentioned in the definition of the act, he or she will not be harassed.

The cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the Digital Security Act, 2018 incorporating a provision of 14 years in prison for the offences under the law.

Journalists and rights defenders have feared that freedom of the press and expression was put to the sword due to the proposed digital security law.

They also felt duped by the government as section 57 of the ICT Act was kept in the proposed law with some changes, despite assurances in the past of eliminating the controversial provision.

Yesterday, Anisul Huq told reporters that the freedom expression had been curtailed to a little extent due to the section 57 of the ICT act, as it was being misused.

The misuse of section 57 of the ICT will be stopped through the Digital Security Act, he said, adding that section 57 of the ICT act has been repealed as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants that nobody is harassed due to the section.

Anisul Huq said a fear is being unnecessarily spread over the section 32 of the Digital Security Act, 2018.

There is no relation between the journalism and spying, he said, adding that if the journalists publish reports on the illegal incidents that will not be treated as an offence of spying under the proposed law.

If anybody commits spying through the computer system and the information technology system that will be treated as an offence under the proposed law, he said.

He however said there is no relation between spying through these systems and journalism.