Release Dipti Rani Das held under DSA immediately: Amnesty

Amnesty International today urged Bangladeshi authorities to immediately release Dipti Rani Das, a 17-year-old girl, who has been languishing at a correctional facility since October 28 last year for a Facebook post.

Dipti was booked under the draconian Digital Security Act on charges of "hurting religious sentiment" and "advancing to deteriorate law and order", Amnesty said.

"She should be released immediately," the human rights organisation said in an "Urgent Action" addressed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Amnesty International's South Asia Campaigner, Saad Hammadi said, "You cannot be not concerned by such forms of punishment that seizes critical, formative years of a child's life simply for a Facebook post. It shows how repressive laws like the Digital Security Act can effectively traumatize an individual.

"The state is the guardian of its people. Instead of providing protection, we have a teenage girl languishing at a correction facility for more than a year. Dipti Rani Das should be in school, not in detention."

Amnesty International called on the authorities to ensure protection of Ditpi Rani Das, her family, and other members of the minority groups in Bangladesh from communal or politically motivated attacks.

They also demanded the release of all those detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and repeal the Digital Security Act or amend it in line with international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Dipti Rani Das was arrested in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, on October 28 under the Digital Security Act (2018) over a Facebook post.

After her arrest, she has since been in detention at a correctional facility in Rajshahi, a northern district in Bangladesh, and could face up to seven years in jail if convicted.

After being denied bail three times at a lower court, a High Court granted her bail on May 11. However, the bail order was stayed through an appeal by the deputy commissioner of Dinajpur, her home district.

The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stated that "prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant", except in the specific circumstances when it amounts to advocacy of hatred that incites violence, hostility or discrimination.

In a report in July, Amnesty International documented a wide range of human rights violations committed by the Bangladeshi security agencies in the pretext of containing false, offensive, defamatory or derogatory information online. The human rights organisation called on Bangladesh's government to urgently repeal or substantially amend the Digital Security Act and end the crackdown on people's right to freedom of expression online.