Amnesty Int’l statement on DSA ill-motivated: Information Minister
PBC News: Information Minister Hasan Mahmud has rejected the statement of Amnesty International over violating people’s right to freedom of expression through Digital Security Act (DSA) as “ill-motivated.”
Digital Security Act was formulated for the safety of people, he said while talking to the reporters at his residence in the capital on Tuesday.
In a new briefing on Monday, Amnesty International suggested Bangladeshi authorities must end the crackdown on people’s right to freedom of expression online and urgently repeal the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) unless it can be amended in compliance with international human rights law and standards.
DSA was not necessary in old time when there was no digitalisation, currently for people’s digital security the act is necessary, he said.
Referring to Amnesty, Hasan Mahmud said Amnesty never issues statement when hundreds of people were killed by petrol bombs in the country.
“The organisation has already lost its acceptance as it remains silent when people are killed randomly in Palestine but raise voice supporting the war criminals,” he said.
According to Amnesty “No space for dissent” examines cases under the DSA – a law that contains overbroad and vague provisions granting the authorities extensive powers to police the online space – against 10 individuals who have been subjected to a wide range of human rights violations including enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture, simply for criticising powerful people on social media.
Bangladesh has at least 433 people imprisoned under the DSA as of July 2021, most of whom are held on allegations of publishing false and offensive information online.
