Editorial: Right to freedom of expression is in mortal danger
Cases filed under Digital Security Act continue to pile up
A cartoonist, a writer and an activist were among the four latest victims of arrest under the draconian Digital Security Act, which it seems is being used to indiscriminately shut down anyone who criticises the powers that be or disagrees in the slightest with their narrative. The four were arrested allegedly for making anti-government posts on Facebook. But we must ask, since when has it become normal for multiple vehicles full of Rab personnel to show up in the middle of the night and pick someone up from their home for posting something critical of the government on social media? Isn't it all a bit too much? What is the purpose of this? Is it to intimidate people into silence? That is what legal experts and rights activists are pointing to as being the real concern here.
According to the human rights body Article 19, between January 1 and May 6, a total of 60 cases have been filled against more than 100 people, including 22 journalists, under the act. There were 34 cases that were filed under the act in 2018 and the following year, that number rose to a total of 63. This shows an increasing trend in the number of cases being filed under the act—with this year's number nearly reaching last year's sum total already.
This stifling of free expression that we have been witnessing completely violates the basic principles of democracy, and the targeting of journalists simply creates confusion by depriving people of accurate and complete information. In this moment of crisis, if the government is truly concerned about true information reaching the public, it should be assisting that process, not hampering the free flow of information and creating a general sense of fear by arresting anyone it sees as having committed the smallest transgression.
We once again call on the authorities to reconsider scrapping the widely unpopular and extremely questionable Digital Security Act and be more tolerant towards free expression and those exercising their constitutional right to it.