THE concern that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed over the growing political violence, arbitrary arrest and the harassment of rights activists in Bangladesh and an abuse of the Digital Security Act is exactly what has troubled the democratically-oriented section of the society and the media in Bangladesh as well as international rights activists and organisations. The UN rights chief, at a session of the Human Rights Council on March 7, has also called on the government to amend the Digital Security Act to stop arbitrary and politically-motivated arrest. It is concerning that the government, which has admitted that the Digital Security Act has often been abused and misused and has promised amendments to the law, continues to use it to create a fearful environment and to muzzle the freedom of speech. The law minister on March 6 once again said that the government would sit with stakeholders to identify the problem areas in the law and amend them. In January 2022, the law minister directed deputy commissioners to investigate possible violations of the law. The minister also asked the law enforcement agencies not to arrest anyone immediately after the filing of a case under the law.

Nothing has, however, changed. The number of cases under the law and detention in such cases has, rather, increased. In 2022, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police recorded 286 cases under the law. Overall, 1,178 cases were filed under the law under only the DMP jurisdiction in October 2018–December 2022. The total number of cases filed under the law reached about 6,500 since the passage of the law. Rights activists and organisations have all along termed it ‘draconian’ and ‘a weapon to muzzle political dissent, the freedom of expression and press freedom.’ A large share of the cases under the law is politically motivated and against people having differing ideologies. A recent research, based on 1,109 cases filed under the law in October 2018–August 2022, shows that the law has been used to muzzle political dissent, create a fearful environment and protect interests of the influential and wealthy quarters. Such an abuse of the law harms society by obstructing activities of rights organisations, political dissidents and intellectuals and, thus, shrinks the space for free and critical thinking.

Although the government said on several occasions that no Digital Security Act provision would be used to limit the freedom of expression and political dissent, cases so far filed under the law and the treatment of the accused in the cases establish that it has been so used. The government must, therefore, end the abuse and misuse of the law and ensure that human and political rights are not violated.