Shawdesh Desk:

Protests against reported abuse of the Digital Security Act and prosecutions and arrests of journalists, among others, under the Act continued on Sunday across the country, with the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party calling for the scrapping of the legal instrument.

Different political parties and socio-cultural organisations organised protests in Dhaka, Chattogram, Noakhali, Jhalakati, and Rangpur among other places pressing for the scrapping of the Act.

The protesters also called for the release of arrested Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman Shams and the withdrawal of the cases filed under the DSA.

They also protested against the filing of a case against Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman and sending the daily’s Savar correspondent Samsuzzaman to jail.

In a statement on Sunday, the National Press Club expressed concern over the application of the DSA against journalists and demanded an amendment to the Act to stop its abuse.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Ganatantra Mancha demanded the repeal of the law on Sunday, accusing the government of controlling the media to suppress public opinion with the Act.

The BNP and Ganatantra Mancha, a coalition of seven political parties, made the demand at a joint press conference following their meeting at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.

At the press conference, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir cited the arrest of Prothom Alo reporter Shamsuzzaman and the case against its editor Matiur Rahman to say that the government was trying to prevent public opinion from being published in a very well-planned manner.

‘They [govt] have been attacking, killing, torturing, arresting, and filing false cases against journalists in the same way for the past 14 years to suppress the freedom of the press,’ Fakhrul said.

He said that the ruling Awami League gagged the press, especially by using the Digital Security Act.

Demanding the repeal of the law, Fakhrul said, ‘We agreed to repeal this black law. Some editors have been forced to leave the country due to the torture using this Act…Many of our journalists have been tortured, they have been killed, and they have been arrested in cases filed under the Digital Security Act,’ he said.

The Supreme Court Bar Association, meanwhile, organised a human chain in the Supreme Court premises to protest against the harassment of people in the name of DSA.

Addressing the programme, Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna said that people were being harassed in the name of the DSA.

‘I have always opposed draconian laws like the Digital Security Act. The Digital Security Act should be repealed, and the tendency to harass people with this law must stop,’ he said.

Panna questioned the arrest of Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman at midnight.

‘We all know what happened with Prothom Alo correspondent Samsuzzaman. Why did they arrest him at such a late hour of the night? This was a downright abduction,’ he said.

Calling his arrest a drama, the senior Supreme Court lawyer said that Samsuzzaman was shown being arrested 38 hours after he was taken by plainclothes people.

‘How could I know whether they are police, DB police, or members of the RAB when they come in plainclothes? This trend of picking up people at midnight in plainclothes must stop. We did not fight for this Bangladesh,’ he said.

Some pro-government lawyers snatched away a megaphone from their programme in front of the offices of the president and secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

‘The whole country has turned into a prison, as it seems,’ Panna said.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, has called on the Bangladesh government to withdraw cases against Prothom Alo editor and publisher Matiur Rahman, and its correspondent Samsuzzaman Shams, and to abolish the Digital Security Act, 2018.

‘Bangladesh should immediately withdraw charges against Prothom Alo editor and journalist and abolish the Digital Security Act which is an instrument of oppression of Media Freedom,’ she Tweeted on Saturday night.

In Noakhali, journalists working for different media outlets organised a human chain in front of the district press club, where students, teachers, and other professionals joined and demanded the scrapping of the DSA.

In Jhalakathi, journalists and Prothom Alo Bandhu Shava members demonstrated in front of the district press club, demanding the release of journalist Samsuzzaman and the withdrawal of the case against him and his editor, Matiur Rahman.

They also called for the scrapping of the DSA. They vented anger over the way the journalist was picked up from his house in the predawn hours of March 29 and produced in a Dhaka court after over 30 hours.

The press club vice president, Akkas Sikdar, called for the scrapping of the DSA and the creation of a convenient environment for journalists.

In Saidpur of Nilphamari, journalists and locals organised a human chain protesting against the DSA case filed against the Prothom Alo editor, and his reporter.

They claimed that Samsuzzaman was arrested for publishing the truth.

Journalists in the Taraganj upazila of Rangpur alleged that the case was filed just to frighten the journalists. They also demanded the withdrawal of the cases.