Dsa cases against journalists: Shams’ arrest an attack on freedom of the press

Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua has said the arrest of journalist Shamsuzzaman Shams is not only an attack on freedom of expression, but also on press freedom.

"It is not misuse of the Digital Security Act, but rather the law's use in its proper form. That means any use of this draconian law is misuse. It needs to be scrapped," he said.

He said Shams was not arrested by the police, but "abducted".

"He was a victim of enforced disappearance for hours. As per the directives issued by the Supreme Court in the Blast vs Bangladesh case, police could have arrested him without warrant only under section 54 of the CrPC.

"The law has been used as an effective tool for violation of the fundamental rights of the journalist. He became a victim even before being implicated in a specific case, and this serious violation of law needs special consideration."