AI statement on DSA ‘motivated’

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud yesterday rejected Amnesty International's statement over the Digital Security Act (DSA), saying that the statement was "motivated".

Talking to reporters at his residence in the capital, the minister also said Amnesty International has lost its acceptability.

"Amnesty International has been issuing statements against Bangladesh and its government one after another," said Hasan, also ruling Awami League joint general secretary.

In a statement on Sunday, the rights body said it has found a concerning pattern in which the Bangladeshi authorities are weaponising sections 25, 29 and 31 of the DSA to target and harass critical voices.

The cyber tribunal based in Dhaka, which holds trials of cybercrimes including cases filed under the DSA, has received 199 cases between January 1 and May 6 this year.

Amnesty International has found that 134 of those cases clearly specified the sections under the DSA. Eighty percent of those cases (or 107 out of 134) were filed under both sections 25 and 29 of the DSA, the statement added.

Section 25 refers to the transmission, publication, etc. of offensive, false or threatening data or information, section 29 pertains to the publication, transmission, etc. of defamatory information and section 31 criminalises a person for deteriorating law and order.

"The way in which defamation is criminalised under the DSA shows the serious shortcomings of a criminal approach to defamation, where the law has been further instrumentalised to silence dissent," the statement said.

The rights body called on the Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that defamation was treated as a matter for civil litigation, not criminal, the statement said.

Hasan yesterday said Amnesty International did not issue any statement when hundreds of people were killed by petrol bombs in Bangladesh. They had also issued statements in favour of war criminals.

He said, "Even, they remained silent when people were killed like birds in Palestine. In fact, the acceptability of the organisation has been lost."

The minister added that the DSA was enacted for ensuring security of the people of the country.

"The act is for all, including housewives, farmers, rickshaw pullers, officials and journalists."

He said the act is needed to ensure digital security of people to save them from harassment on digital platforms.

The minister said such an act is also there in many countries, including neighbouring India and Pakistan, Singapore, Australia and many of the countries of the European Union.

"So, it is motivated to make statements over the act repeatedly," he added.