Mushtaq’s Death: Ensure justice, scrap DSA

Seven victims of the Digital Security Act and ICT Act yesterday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged brutal torture on writer Mushtaq Ahmed and cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore in custody and trial of law enforcers accused of torture.

Terming the DSA a "death trap", the seven, including a teacher, journalists and activists, in a statement also demanded scrapping of the controversial law and amendment to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act by incorporating in it human rights-centric principles.

Mushtaq died in prison custody on February 25.

The statement said, "We are deeply concerned following the recent death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in prison and are anxious about all those jailed under the law. At the same time, we learned through the media that award-winning cartoonist Kishore complained about being tortured in custody of the law enforcement agencies after his arrest on the night of May 2, 2020.

"Even writer Mushtaq Ahmed was given an electric shock. According to the Torture and Custodial Death Prevention Act 2013, this is a serious crime and a violation of the directives of the High Court. It is the responsibility of the state to protect human rights of every prisoner, but citizens are dying in custody of state forces and are being subjected to brutal physical and mental torture," added the statement.

The signatories to the statement are: noted photojournalist Shahidul Alam, Shafiqul Islam Kajol, Chattogram University teacher Maidul Islam, Rashtrochinta activist Didarul Bhuiyan, architect Golam Mahfuz Joardar, leftist student leaders Maruf Hossain and Aziur Rahman Ashaf. They all were earlier detained under the DSA or ICT Act.

"While murderers-money launderers are being granted bail through the legal process, the culture of not getting bail through the legal process has begun for those arrested under the Digital Security Act. When things happen like this, it is no longer considered a fair law. Rather, it becomes an anti-people law," said the statement.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday reiterated that the government was planning to take measures to ensure no one is arrested or sued under the DSA before an inquiry is carried out.

"We are thinking about incorporating a provision in the Digital Security Act so that no case is filed and none can be arrested under this law before an inquiry into the allegations [of spreading confusion and rumours about the government] is conducted," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

On Tuesday, the minister had told this newspaper that the government would take necessary steps so that the provisions of DSA were not abused.

"I have a plan to form a monitoring team so that there is no scope for abusing the law," he said.

Anisul had also said that the DSA was a "very necessary" law as it was formulated in order to give protection to the people and the state from digital offences, and therefore, there was no question of repealing it.

Yesterday, journalists in Brahmanbaria's Akhaura asked the minister whether the government would amend the DSA.

The minister replied, "You will see in a few days [what happens in this regard]."

He made the remarks on Akhaura Railway Junction station premises before going to Kasba to distribute smart NID cards among the people.

This was the minister's first visit to his electoral constituency (Kasba-Akhaura) after almost a year.